HOTD: When hell Opens its Gates
by ThePointMan89
Summary: When the world ends, the group must find a way to live in a place where the dead reign supreme. And with the help of someone who's life has been bathed in battle, will they survive or fall to the ranks of the dead. Follows Main group with addition of OC. WARNING WILL BE GRAPHIC: blood, gore, language, and maybe lemons sometime down the line.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own HOTD or any of its characters that honor is Mr. Diasuke Sato!.

z-day minus 1

My mission was a simple one; all I had to do was a little reconnaissance on a potential candidate and report back with my findings. Little did I know that this was going to be no easy assignment, and not because I wasn't a good soldier but simply because the entire world was about to go Fucking ballistic

_Phone rings _"hello" I say calmly as I put the phone to my ears. A man's voice comes through the other side, a tired voice full of age and wisdom.

"anything to report Ghost?"

"affirmative" I replied " candidate has repeatedly shown incredible amounts of strength, stamina and speed."

"Is that all" the voice said with absolutely no trace of emotion

"No sir," I took a breath "through careful observation I have come to the conclusion that not only does the candidate possess the necessary skills, but more importantly she possesses something that cannot be taught through formal training, but she has an uncanny ability to _feel _other people movements and the only true weakness is her simple lack of battlefield experience."

"Hmm that's very interesting, am I to trust that because of your history with our candidate that these are based upon facts and not just feelings?"

"Yes sir, you know that's true. She Was your first pick after all" I responded, I don't know why but that statement thoroughly pissed me off "what is your next order?"

"We need to see for ourselves what miss busujima is capable of, make yourself noticed I want a full battle report, and given your history with her, I expect it to be full of valuable data" the other voice snickered I on the other hand really wished I could punch though the phone and knock his teeth out

"Sometimes I think you're enjoying this a little too much old man" I replied heavily annoyed "and if you haven't forgotten I've already been noticed"

"well then it should be easy, I expect a full report tomorrow night at 20:00 hours."

"Roger that general, over and out" I said as I hung up the phone took one breath and

threw it on the coffee table in front of me _fuck me_ I thought to myself as I stood up walked to the fridge of my bare one bedroom apartment full of absolutely nothing but the essentials a fridge full of beer, a bed, sofa, tv coffee table stove and microwave. I grabbed a cold one from the fridge cracked it open and took a drink of the cold liquid, I'm only 18 years old but I am what they call in the states a seasoned drinker and I'm quite proud to say I can hold my liquor. I wipe a little bit of beer off my lips and walk over to my bed and pull out from under it two large gun safes. I take the key that's around my neck and open the first one to reveal two black Wilson combat 45 calibers 1911's each with 6 ten round magazines, a snub nose Smith and Wesson 45 an next to that an LWRC m6a3 with full RIS rail and Eyotech red dot complete with 10 30 round magazines, with optional 3x magnification. then Out of habit I perform the same routine that I have done for the last 12 years of my life I pick up each firearm field strip and check to make sure they are clean and well maintained, then I make sure all magazines are fully loaded and gently place them back in their respective places, save for one of the 1911's which I grab two extra 10 round magazines and set them in my shoulder rig where I then lock the handgun in place. I close the lid and slide the safe back under my bed and I move to the other safe where I use the same key to unlock the lid. I take a deep breath as I release the two latches and with a _click _I open the lid. I gaze at the contents which are wrapped in a blue velvet cloth I gently reach in an retrieve two razor sharp tomahawks, they were light in my hands but I knew from countless hours of training that these were extremely lethal capable of cutting through several limbs if in the hands of the right user, and that user being me. I smile as I reminisce of the countless lives that I have taken with these tools of war, I twirl them around before gently setting them aside, for I had even a more destructive and deadly weapon in my arsenal. A weapon that I both respect and fear accordingly, and only use when I'm in a serious pinch, my hands slowly reach into the safe and I pull the cloth that covered the weapon off only to reveal a perfect balance of power, durability and beauty, a katana built to my specifications from the finest tamahagune steel by the finest swords smith that Sensei Busujima knew. The hilt was solid black and around it was an accent of red made from the finest silk, the blade polished to the point where no imperfection could be accounted for. I removed the sword from its stand and held it with two hands horizontally before finally taking it by the handle and assuming an attack stance. My mind was flooded with memories of learning how to use this very deadly weapon, my sparring matches with Saeko, my Masters daughter, the unbelievable hard and torturous training regimen that her Father had laid out for me since the first time he saw my potential. The feeling of finally being able after only a year of training to be able to stand toe to toe with Saeko without getting absolutely slaughtered. Then the sweet memory of receiving this katana as a gift for becoming a true warrior in her father's eyes, but I would never forget the look that Saeko gave me when I received the weapon, it was not a look of jealously or anger that I had been able to progress so fast, but a look of content and happiness, that I even swear today that I saw her shed a tear. I remember exactly what she was wearing that day it was a pure white kimono, with a dragon etched from the front of the garment to the back, she looked absolutely flawless, I had never seen such beauty before even after I left to go to Authority Arms Inc. I have traveled the world and seen a lot of beautiful women but still nothing compared to Miss Saeko Busujima.

I only wished that things between us were better. After I "graduated" from her father's class I was recruited into the finest fighting force in the world. Authority Arms Private military, it was a unit so specialized and so well trained that frequently even quality soldiers such as Navy Seals, SAS and Delta Force, routinely drop out of the program. I was honored and I was ready to fight so I left right then and there, I wanted to say goodbye but part of the "development stage" was to be able to just leave everything you care about behind and move on. Well I never told anybody about this but I probably should've failed right then and there cause I wasn't able to do that, before I left japan I took with me a small photograph of Saeko and me on My "graduation" day and kept it on me at all times. To this day I don't know how I managed to keep it hidden but I was determined to not let anything happen to that photograph. None the less it helped me through the tough training that AA required and whenever I would think that I was at my limit I would look at the photo and remember why I was doing what I was doing.

I sighed as I put the photo of Saeko back into my wallet, my mind drifted to my past and all the events that have taken place to shape what my life is and has become. I'm 18 years old, and I have already been I hundreds of engagements, and have killed more people than a whole battalion of marines. I remembered my past back when I was little my father bathing me in the life of a soldier who he himself was a delta force operator. I always wanted to be like him, actually I wanted to be better than him, never once did he have to ask me to train. I longed to train, every minute of every day I would train and study the various categories of war, I pushed myself to the absolute limit and then when I felt as though I couldn't go on I pushed harder always striving to be both mentally and physically stronger. My father, who raised me on his own due to my mother dying when I was barely a year old, gave me the guidance to always find a way past my limitations. He was not just my father but my best friend and greatest ally. When that day came when his body was brought back in a wooden box, and American flag draped over then sides, my entire world collapsed and sought nothing but vengeance. I was barely 10 years old and with both of my parents dead I was forced to move from California to japan where my uncle lived. Needless to say I was an outcast and frequently picked on in school because I was simply different. It was never physical, but emotional they would call me an outcast and make fun of the fact that my parents were dead. I did my best to ignore them relying on my training to block them out and keep my head cool. But one day that would all change, after a particularly hard day at school I was walking home my normal route when I was surrounded by some older kids who seemed to find most pleasure in making my life hell. I thought they were just going to do the usual, call me names and make fun of my parents, but that all changed when someone decided to throw a rock at me that hit me square in the forehead. The blow itself didn't really hurt since I had already learned to ignore pain but it triggered something inside me, I remember picking up the rock and while the other kids were laughing I slung the rock as hard as I could and smacked the bastard that hit me right in the nose breaking the fragile cartilage and snapping his head back leaving him unconscious with a severe concussion. Well apparently the other boys didn't particularly like having one of them beat up by a younger outsider so they all charged. By now I was seeing red and I don't remember much between the time the first punch was thrown to when Saeko decided to intervene but from what I do remember was a lot of screams of pain and they weren't coming from me. Saeko was able to drag me off this one boy by grabbing my neck and pulling me back, well I was having none of it so I used all my strength and pulled my body weight forward and threw her over my shoulder. I watched as she expertly used the force of the throw to flip end over end and land perfectly on her feet. she turned toward me and simply said "I think you won" I stood up and surveyed the area only to reveal the broken and mangled bodies of 8 kids all were either unconscious or wishing they were so they didn't have to feel the pain that had just been inflicted on them. At the sight I immediately started laughing

"You here to pick on me too?" I asked anger was burning in my heart I had have enough of being kicked around it was now my turn to return the favor whether this person was a girl or not I was out for blood.

"Easy chief" Saeko replied with a grin on her face " I'm actually impressed I mean I knew you could hold your own, but not this well" she paused, how would you like to actually learn how to use your skills to your utmost potential?" she asked me cocking her head to the right

I hesitated, before speaking "what do you mean my full potential" I asked intrigued, I thought I was doing pretty good considering bodies laid sprawled out around me.

"Your good, but your emotions cloud your actions, your anger makes you vulnerable, I know someone that can teach you to bottle your rage and unleash it as focused energy to make your tactics more effective, to make them perfect"

This pissed me off it was almost like she was telling me everything my father had taught me was shit, "what you saying I don't know how to fight" I responded I could feel my chest fill with rage as my hands started shaking

Saeko must have seen read my body language cause she immediately started laughing. "No dummy, what I'm saying is that If you learned how to control your emotions then you would be unstoppable, and I want you help you get there" she said turning her head down and away from my gaze. I noticed a faint redness flow to her cheeks, she was blushing. This immediately caused me to calm down as suddenly my chest became tight and my breath quickened. It was a sensation that I have never felt before, my rage disappeared to only be replaced by something I couldn't explain. Suddenly I felt as though I couldn't take my eyes off her as I studied her, eyeing her up and down. She was unbelievably cute, I couldn't believe I didn't notice before.

"So what do you say?" Saeko responded finally breaking me out of my trance

"uh, b-b-but of course, yeah I want to learn to use my talents with perfect precision" I stammered, then felt my cheeks go hot as I got embarrassed for my stutter.

Saeko smiled at me then advanced toward me and grabbed my hand, "well lets go! Oh and by the way I'm Saeko Busujima"

"I'm Gabriel Kael"

"Ok Gabriel, lets go!"

"but wait" I paused "What about these guys" I said as I motioned to the people who were laying around me. All were conscious now but their moans of pain were very, very noticeable

"Don't worry about them, my father has a little pull around here, he will have them treated and taken care of"

"What about me, wont I get in trouble?" i said my voice trailing at the end

"No I saw everything, just chalk it to self-defense, and you have a witness" she replied with a grin. "now lets go its getting late" she said as we sped off into the night. From that day on I became a student of her father, training every day to the point of exhaustion. It was not uncommon of me to pass out at random times during the day because I couldn't stay awake. And more than a few times I was hospitalized because of my harsh training due to either injuries or just plain being tired. But the funny thing was Saeko was right there with me training just as hard as I was, funny though she must be tougher than me because she was always there nursing me back to health despite her own personal injuries.

I rubbed my fingers along the outline of the photograph, let out a long sigh and slipped it back into my wallet how I wished things were back to the way it used to be, now it just seems like every time I try to get close her she shoves me aside or just plain ignores me, I mean sure I left without saying goodbye but hell its already been three years has she really held a grudge against me this entire time? Didn't she know why I left, her father must have told her something? The questions floating in my head were driving me insane. For fuck sake I'm the one that requested we try to recruit her again! And not just cause I missed her but because she is the only other person who I would consider my rival and not to mention one hell of a good fighter. Authority Arms Manufacturing would be blessed and honored to have someone with her skill and pure ability to fight.

I felt my anger start to rise as I took a long drink from my beer finishing the beverage and throwing the empty can across the room out of frustration. _Goddamnit Saeko would you just let me get close to you for two fucking seconds_ I screamed in my head as my body began to move on its own my hands gripping the katana in my hand, I sheathed the weapon before I started cutting everything in sight and out of sheer willpower I tried my best to calm down and slowly but surely I felt myself relax as I put my weapons away checking the chamber of the 1911 in my shoulder holster then lying on my bed _tomorrow Saeko, for better or worse, tomorrow I'm going to finally get you to listen to me either diplomatically or by force_ I said as I closed my eyes and did my best to fall asleep.

_Next day zday_

The day started off normal, nothing was out of the ordinary as stashed my handgun back in the safe and grabbed my pocketknife and slid it into my back pocket. It was illegal as all hell to have at school but I'll be damned if I get caught without a weapon, even though against normal civilians I would never need it. But I have accumulated enough enemies who would love to take me out so I thought it always best to just be on the safe side.

School was only about a twenty minute walk so it didn't take me long before the gates were in my sight. However I was stuck with an odd sense of nervousness as I stopped and took a breath before walking into the courtyard and into the halls already crowded with students. I figured I'd wait until second period when I knew that Saeko would be in the kendo club gym hall then id confront her there, on her own turf so she knew that I was business, and that I genuinely had something I needed to say. Nervousness exploded throughout my body once more. I wasn't scared I knew that, even though technically she was the only person in the world who I was absolutely positive could stand toe to toe with me, I kind of welcomed that challenge if it came to it, so what was I nervous for? Deep down I felt I knew the answer but I just couldn't bring it to the surface. I stood there pondering for what seemed like hours when I was alerted to a commotion to my left.

"move you ugly Otaku!" a boy about 6ft tall and around 170 lbs yelled as he pushed another boy into the side wall of the hallway. I recognized the guy who got pushed, we had spoken a few time before in passing but had never really had a decent conversation even though I thought he was a good enough person. His name if I remember right was Khota Hirano and it looked like he was getting into some heavy shit. I watched as he became surrounded by two more guys.

"Hey man, just back off I didn't do anything to you guys" he yelled in retaliation. By now I was making my way over to Hirano at a pretty quick pace, if things turned ugly I would defiantly step in, fuck if I'm going let someone be picked on my douche bags like these clowns. Especially someone I actually like.

"What the fuck did you just say?" one of the guy surrounding Hirano yelled back as he cocked his arm back getting ready to unleash a punch.

I quickened my step as I surveyed the situation. Hirano had his back against one of the walls as the three guys stood roughly 2 to 3 ft away from him in a semi-circle formation which left about 5 feet from the outside man to the other side of the hallway for me to maneuver around, and the guy who had his hand cocked back was the closest one to me so all in all these fuckers were about to be royally screwed. As soon as the first guy threw his hand I put my hand out right in the flight path and stopped it cold, my hand completely covering the other guys fist "nice try fuck head" I said as the guy looked at me with a look of bewilderment at his punch being caught mid flight. I smiled as I twisted the wrist backward and used my other hand to grab the back of the guys head and slam it into the wall, not enough to completely knock him out but just hard enough for him to get his bell rung. As his body slumped into the floor I looked at Hirano and smiled "I know you could've handled this yourself but I really don't like these guys"

The other two guys that were picking on Hirano just looked at me stunned, unsure of what to do it took a couple of seconds before the second one closest to me decided to get brave "you little shit!" he yelled as he tried to throw a right cross toward my head, I slipped the oncoming punch to the outside of his guard and threw a right body shot feeling the ribcage crack as the blow landed. He was instantly knocked out of breath and fell to the floor along with his other friend "ouch" I said to him as he gasped for air "looks like breathing is going to be a little difficult for you, guess your not going to be able to shit talk for a while" I followed with as I bent over his broken body. A huge rush of ecstasy flowed through me, it was a feeling that I can never get enough from, the feeling of destroying my opponent, of winning, in fact the only thing better would be if I actually got to kill these guys and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it In that very moment. I ended the thought before I got too carried away and turned my attention to the now absolutely scared shitless third perpetrator, AKA. The one who started this mess " so you like to pick on people who have less power than you?" I asked sadistically. "give me one reason why I shouldn't make you join your friends here?"

"I..I..AHHH!" he stammerd before turning his back to run away, he got about a half a step before I reached out and grabbed his collar pulling him back while simultaneously spinning the man around "sorry dick, but your just too damned slow" I said before landing a quick jab to the jaw rocking his brain and sending him straight to sleep.

I let his unconscious body hit the floor with a thud before turning back to Hirano "you ok homie" I asked, speaking in half Japanese and ending with the word homie in English

"H-Homie?" he replied weakly, his face was painted with and expression of shock from the easy beat down that he had just witnessed.

This caused me to let out a laugh "yeah it's another name for Friend or Brother, we use it a lot in California" I smiled.

"Oh- ye… Yeah I'm ok, thanks for helping me" he said averting his gaze from my eyes "I'm just a weakling you know you didn't have to do that it's not going to make them stop"

"you're not a weakling, you just haven't had the right training, maybe I'll have to show you some stuff so you can deliver the beating next time" I replied as I gave him a thumbs up.

_DING!_ The school bell reverberated through the halls "well I guess we are late, I'll catch you later… Homie " for whatever reason this cause Hirano to smile widely as he enthusiastically yelled back to me as I turned and walked away heading toward my homeroom "Yeah I see you later! Thanks again"

I don't know why but for some reason him telling me that in turn made me smile widely I guess it really does feel good when you help out a friend.

First period went by as a crawl it took ages for that first bell to ring or so it seemed, it was during this time that I was stricken once again by an intense bout of nervousness. _What the hell is going on with me_ I thought to myself as I twirled my pencil gracefully around my fingers, it was a habit I had developed when I was deep in thought. I couldn't understand why I felt as though I knew the answer yet I couldn't come to a conclusion, almost as if it was taunting me. I did my best to shake it from my head but it was always lingering, when finally I thought as though I would drive myself mad with thought, I heard the bell ring signaling the end of first period and the start of second. _Well this is it _I whispered under my breath as I grabbed my things and began walking out of the classroom and toward the kendo club room. As I made my way through the crowded halls I allowed myself some time to procrastinate and took a detour and made my way to the roof. I gazed out and over the city, a beautiful sight; cherry blossoms were in full bloom, accented by a perfect backdrop of bright blue sky, painted with scattered clouds, the vocals of birds chirping away. I could see the ocean from where I stood which only made the view more spectacular. Japan really was a beautiful country; hopefully it would stay this way. I heard the bell ring once again as second period started and took one last look at the city before turning and making my way down the stairs and through the halls now devoid of students. The halls were quiet as my footsteps echoed off the concrete and glass. My nervousness was replaced by something different, my heartbeat quickened and my feet felt lighter as I realized I was being taken over by anticipation, anticipation of finally getting to confront Saeko. I knew that too much excitement and I would become sloppy so I used some breathing techniques to calm me down and continued toward the Dojo.

I didn't get halfway there before I heard the intercom blare over the school grounds. I was in the middle of the school in one of the main hallways 20 feet from a double door that lead outside to a ramp that would take me to the ground level where I would be able to make a beeline for the Dojo. But apparently lady luck was not on my side, for over the intercom I heard the pleading screams of a man who sounded as though he was being slaughtered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing _what the fuck was that_ I thought as I immediately snapped back into focus and did a quick rundown what would happen next. Panic, panic would happen and kids would come bursting through the doors. I took a half a second before I felt my training take over and just as I began to move my feet the sounds of screaming, panicked people reverberated throughout the halls _damn if I get caught in this_ I thought to myself as I bolted through the doors only to be stopped dead in my tracks by this girl, whose skin was the wrong shade of purple and black, she was wearing a school uniform that was in tatters and covered in blood. Her intestines were hanging from her stomach and even from the 20 feet away I could smell the putrid odor of already decaying flesh.

"Hey!" I yelled at her as I stared in disbelief unable to comprehend what was happening. The screams of pain and panic rapidly drawing closer, I turned to see a mob of people less than thirty feet from me, so I quickly surveyed the area and decided I had two choices, choice A. engage whatever thing was in front of me, B. try to make my way back though the wall of students or I could jump on top of the railing, or C. scale to wall and make my way to the roof where I could get a better vantage point. It didn't take me long to realize that going up against and unknown… unknown or whatever this thing was in my path or running into a stampede without proper intel went against all my training, so I jumped the railing, scaled the wall and made my way to the roof. Once I got over the railing on top of the school I peered over and took a look at whatever it was I came into contact with. I couldn't belive what I was seeing. She or it was actually EATING someone! I peered out and scanned the school grounds to see that it wasn't just this one thing, but they were everywhere!

"What the fuck!" I screamed "how is there so many!, everything was fine 10 minutes ago!" everywhere I looked students and teachers alike were being consumed but these abominations. Organs and limbs littered the ground, blood soaked the floor painting it a crimson red. The screams of the injured and dying began filling the air only to be mixed with the moans and groans of these, these things. I was in awe of the complete and utter chaos and as I looked out over the hell that was materializing in front of me all I could think about was I hope Saeko is ok.

That's when I heard the awful sound of someone shuffling their feet awkwardly toward me, then I heard the moan it was roughly 10 feet behind me and closing. I allowed myself to take a deep breath and felt the very familiar feeling of excitement take over. "Time to go to work" I whispered as I drew my knife quickly turned and found myself surrounded by 15 or more of the walking ghouls. "ok motherfuckers let see what you got!" I yelled as I charged the one closest to me. I drew my arm back and drove the blade straight into the heart of the first creature, I smiled as the force of the blow knocked it back dislodging the knife while simultaneously knocking over 4 other creatures. "oh well this is no fun" I said as a felt my excitement slowly slip away "is that all you guys can take" I watched as they awkwardly tried to find their feet, they moved as if they were blind and Lame. I laughed as I allowed the other creatures to close in on me, thinking that this was going be the easiest fight in the world.

However that's when I noticed that the creature I had stabbed in the heart was now back on its feet and moving toward me again. "Well that's interesting" I said as I assumed and attack stance and switched my blade from a thrust hold to a sideways hold with the blade laying on the outside of my forearm. The creatures were now about 7 to 8 feet away and I still had no idea how to kill them. So I figured I would just start hitting them as hard as I could until they died because I sure as hell was not going to be on the menu today. So I took aim at the first creature and unleashed a vicious cross to the head snapping the to the side hearing the bones in his vertebre crack and dislodge from their original position i followed with and elbow to the rib cage forcing the creature to bend at the waist. Then I took a small step out and drove a picture perfect left uppercut using all the power in my legs to drive the punch upward connecting with the jaw snapping the head back with such force that the head was removed from the spinal cord. I watched as the dead body fell to the floor in a sickening thud. I had no time to look at the damage before I turned my attention to the rest of the pack as I started to pick apart each creature that dared enter my reach. I felt the excitement run back into my body as my strikes became faster and more powerful with each blow. Every second of training that I had accumulated throughout my entire existence came flooding back to me as muscle memory took over guiding my body into delivering blow after blow, my muscles expanding and contracting with unbelievable force, this Is what I lived for.

It had taken me just over a minute to fight my way through to pack of creatures to emptiness on the other side. I turned around to see the damage that was left in my wake. Every single body was broken and mangled from my punches, kicks, and joint breaks but to my disappointment only about 2/3 of the dead were actually dead, the rest were still attempting to chase me, their jaws wide and their appetites not in check. _What do I have to do to kill you guys? _ I thought to myself. That's when I remembered the first one I had punched, that after I had dislodged his head from his spinal column it didn't get back up. _I wonder_ I thought as I switched my knife back into a thrust hold in my right hand. I walked up to the nearest creature who was the shadow of a young girl maybe 16 years old and probably very pretty, up until she was killed and somehow resurrected by these things. Her school uniform was barely hanging on to her body as one of her breast dangled from her bra. During the confrontation I had broken both of her legs and severely dislocated her right shoulder yet despite the injuries she kept crawling using her mangled form to try to get to me so she could presumably eat me. I stood over her from about 3 feet away just out of her reach and said this prayer " May God bless your soul, and may you have a safe journey to the gates of paradise" I made the sign of the cross before plunging my knife deep into the back of her skull penetrating deep into the brain. Gravity allowed blood to flow freely from the open wound as almost instantly the creature creased to move. I withdrew my blade and wiped it clean on her clothes. "I guess the only way to kill you guys is just like the movies, a headshot" I smiled as I went to work on the remaining creatures ending their existence. Painted across my face was a huge smile. When I was finished with the remaining creatures I ran back to the railing and peered over trying to find anything that would tell me what I should do. Everywhere I looked I saw nothing but carnage and them. I watched as a group of students was surrounded and devoured. Their screams and pleading falling onto helps deaf ears. I averted my gaze knowing there was nothing I could do to help them. I felt my rage build as I stood there unable to decide my next move. Do I simply find my way out of here, no I couldn't do that I still had to find Saeko, I couldn't leave without knowing she was safe. I stepped up my efforts trying to find a clear path or a glimpse of something that I could go on when suddenly I notice a figure through the glass of the school wing running parallel to my position, moving quickly through the halls. It was a girl with full breasts, perfect figure, graceful movements and dark purple hair. She had a training sword in here hand and was simply pushing aside or delivering quick strikes to infected heads that crossed here path. "Saeko" I whispered as I turned and took off for the doors that lead downward. In those few seconds I had made up my mind. My body felt light as I ran as fast I could down the stairs only to be confronted by yet another horde. _Sorry guys but I got a date_ I said to myself as I charged, using my knife to deliver quick and efficient kill shots littering the halls with the dead. The desire to kill returned as the fight dragged on. My adrenaline was spiking as I felt my body react and act almost on its own, I never lost a step as each blow was followed by another, each and every single one was either a kill shot or a setup for a kill shot and Soon the hall grew quiet again as I sped off down the corridor toward Saeko.

As I rushed down the halls I made use of my senses trying to capture and analyze everything that I had seen or experienced. So I knew they didn't feel pain, and I would have to assume they never get tired. Also they are really, really slow, individually they were easy to take on but a swarm of them and things would begin to get dangerous. I turned left at the end of the hall which you now take me perpendicular to where I had seen Saeko when I almost ran right smack dab into one of them. I was about 5 feet in front of a disfigured body of a boy who looked to be about 12 or 13. His entire right side was chewed off and blood fell from the wound. His skin devoid of any color and his eyes were nothing but expressionless orbs. I could see his ribcage and entrails falling from their places as he turned toward me and stumbled awkwardly in my direction when all of a sudden some one that was hiding in one of the classrooms slammed one of the classroom doors open. The sound seemed to bounce off the halls as I wiry girl no more than 80 lbs. stumbled from the room in an obvious panic my guess is that she had stayed in the room and hid while everyone else was trying to get out of dodge. I was just about to stirike the dead guy in front of me and put him down when I suddenly he did something unexpected, instead of going after me he turned and began pursuing the girl. _Now why would he go after her when I was right in front of him_? I watched as the girl stared at the beast that was now making its way toward her. She let out a blood curling scream before yelling out "Please help me!". I was about to respond when suddenly a shadow appeared behind her engulfing her in its shadow

"Move!" I yelled but it was too late. The abomination had already grabbed her by the neck as bit down on her shoulder removing a huge chuck of flesh. Her scream echoed through the building and I felt my rage skyrocket. I noticed that the one who was closest to me had changed direction immediately after I yelled out to the girl then changed once again when she began screaming. _Sound, it must be_ I thought to myself right before I stabbed the first abomination in between the eyes ending its existence. I pulled back immediately and in 5 strides I covered the length of the hall and punched the other creature that was still biting into the girls shoulder. This caused the creature to let go and the girls body dropped to the floor in a heap. She did her best with what was left of her arm to help and scurry away to the opposite side of the hallway. I watched as the one I punched climbed to its feet and turn toward me. A staircase was located directly behind the creature and I could hear the moans of more dead making their way up the staircase. I wasted no time in dispatching the creature with a hard roundhouse kick that when connected I could feel the spinal column snap and the body was thrown down the staircase.

I quickly ran over to the girl picked her up and took her into the open classroom. She was already in shock and the color was quickly draining from her body. She was crying softly and shaking. I laid her down gently on the teacher's desk and locked the door thereafter making sure as to close it as quietly as I could I then jogged back over to where the girl was, took off my jacket and laid it over her it was a desperate move, a move I know wasn't going work. She had been bitten and we both knew what would come next. I positioned myself so that I was now sitting on the desk with her tiny head in my lap. She felt weightless; she was so small I thought to myself, so weak and so fragile. She had dark brown hair a light skin tone and deep black eyes. She would've been very pretty had she been allowed to live out her life. But instead here she was away from her family and friends and dying, slowly turning into the dead that aren't dead. "What's your name sweetheart" I finally said as I cupped her head making her stare directly into my eyes

"Yuki…Yuki Nakamono" she replied feebly followed by a cough that left blood stained on her hand, the transformation was already happening. "What's yours?"

"Gabriel Kael" I responded "I like you name Yuki, it's cute just like you"

This caused her to smile which quickly turned into a frown and tears began to form at the corner of her eyes "Why did this happen oneesama" she said through her watery eyes "why are people eating one another!"

"shhh" I said as I motioned for her to be quiet "I don't know Yuki, I wish I did" I felt a strange feeling pounding in my chest as I stared into the eyes of this child, at first I didn't recognize the feeling since it had been so long but once I realized what it was I remembered all too well as I had been in countless other situations with my friends who have died alongside me in war.

"I don't want to be one of them, I saw what happens. First you get bitten, then you die, then you come back to life only to want to eat other people" she was full on crying now "I don't want to be one of them"

I was taken aback at what I had heard and realized what I must do. "Yuki sweetheart," I said as I quietly flipped open my knife "your not going to turn, that I can promise you" I said smiling at her, it was and empty smile easily to see through. She immediately knew what I meant as she closed her eyes and smiled "Thank y—" she wasn't able to finish the sentence but I knew what she had meant. I had placed my knife at the back of her skull and lined it with the central cortex of the brain. The strike resulted in an instantaneous disruption within her central nervous system cutting all signals to her body and brain. She was dead in an instant. I felt the warmth of the blood start to pool around my hand that held the knife still lodged in the back of her skull. I gently removed the blade and wiped the blood off my hands and my knife on my jacket before removing it and placing it over the body before reciting this prayer.

_In the name of the father, _

_And of the son, _

_And of the holy ghost_

_May god bless your soul and grant you safe passage to the kingdom of heaven._

I used my training to silence my feelings and walked back out the door. I still had an objective I wanted to accomplish. The hallway would curve around the staircase and continue on for about 50 feet before making a left which would put me in the same wing and on the same level as where I saw Saeko. I spotted a doorway directly in front of me that would lead outside to anther staircase on the outside of the building that I could use to reach the ground floors my plan was to check the wing where I saw her then if when wasn't there double back and use those stairs to get down to the courtyard where I would then search for there but I knew my time was limited. She had to be thinking of finding a way out, if she hadn't already done so. I was able to steal a couple looks out the windows that lined the hallway only to be repaid with images of them walking around eating everyone who wasn't within their ranks. Also I had spotted smoke and ash now filling the sky's this left me with the sickening realization that this school wasn't the only place that hell decided to visit today. I silently cursed to myself as I continued down the hallway and made to left that would lead me to Saeko last know position. As I turned the corner I was stopped by the sight of over thirty of the creatures roaming. Their Moans assaulting my eardrums, I retrieved my blade. I had to get through them _sorry guys but I'm late for something_ I said as I charged in bashing my way through. I killed the first one with a powerful thrust of my blade, then sidestepped while removing the blade and engaged the second dead with a hard plant kick to the sternum knocking it back 10 feet and taking out the legs of 5 others which looked to me like they were some of my classmates three female and two male. I then took half a step, planted my feet jumped to the side of the wall and pushed off hard sending me sideways where I used a backhand thrust to pierce the next walking dead's head. This allowed me to put some distance between me and the rest of the pack to where I could plan my next attack. Seeing that the commotion had alerted more of the infected I decided to stop fucking around. I planted my foot and got ready to charge when out the corner of my eye, I caught a glimmer of purple. I turned my head to the right and looked out the window and down where I saw Saeko and a group of 6 others running through a pack of them bashing and bruising their way to what looked like a small bus. _ Shit _ I muttered as I quickly turned back to the infected before me _ sorry guys gotta go_ I said to myself as I delivered a roundhouse kick to the one closest to me snapping its neck and turning the now dead body into a bowling ball where's the other infected were the pins. I remember the door leading to the outside and ran toward it. I opened the door in time to watch as Saeko and the others were boarding the bus, but now they were being accompanied by another group of students separate from the original people that she was with. I was about to yell out to Saeko when I heard the moans of the dead behind me… way too close behind me.

_Saeko POV_

"Hurry up!" I yelled as the rest of the students following Mr. Shido boarded the bus. I found my seat a few rows from the back and looked out the window toward the school. _Where the fuck is he_ I found myself thinking _wait why do I care, here I am alone, just like me left me _ my anger began to rise but I found it difficult to not keep scanning the school grounds. _ He somewhere _I thought to myself. I was about to look away when out of the corner of my eye I spotted something on the second story of the school. I focused my attention only to find that the second story fire escape door had been violently swung open and standing on the balcony of the spiral staircase was a man that I would recognize anywhere. Brown hair, deep black eyes, fair skin and built like a tank. "Gabriel" I said under my breath unable to speak fully, partly because of surprise, and partly because I wanted to know what happened next. I watched as he looked down at me, our eyes met for a brief moment before one of them appeared behind him. I gasped I knew I would be unable to warn him, but my fears were set aside when he quickly ducked and used what looked to be a pocket knife to jam one of them under the jaw and allowing the brain to be penetrated . The now dispatched infected fell to the floor to be replaced by another, to which Gabriel used a hard plant kick to drive the infected back. After he finished the strike he disappeared into the door _what the fuck is he doing_ I thought to myself as I felt myself begin to get nervous. That's when he appeared again this time in a full sprint, I watched as he gracefully jumped on top of the rod iron railing and vaulted into the air from 2 stories up. His form was perfect as he jumped up instead of out allowing his speed to carry him instead of his trajectory. This allowed him to get the most distance from the vault. Just as his feet hit the ground he moved into a roll dispersing the energy from the fall so it would be absorbed throughout his entire body and not just his legs, finally coming to rest in a three point stance with one hand on the ground. The infected quickly closed in from the front only to be knocked down as Gabriel did a back handstand while kicking the infected in the jaw snapping its neck. Once he landed three more had already taken its place to which he used his blade to quickly penetrate their skulls. His movements were flawless, with absolutely no wasted actions he moved as if it was choreographed never missing a step. I noticed something different in his fighting style than I remember, it was almost as if he had no style, but had a style, like a blend of different types of strikes and kicks but with somehow different than traditional martial arts movements. I felt my body get Hot at the sight of him and I had to verbally talk myself out of allowing my hormones to take over. Embarrassed for the sudden burst desire I felt my face go hot.

"Ok hit it!" takashi yelled out as he closed the door behind Mr. Shido

"Got it!" Ms. Shizuka responded as I felt the bus begin to accelerate

"Wait, stop the bus!" I instinctively yelled, surprising myself from the sudden outburst

"Are you kidding me? We can't stop the bus, we will be overrun we have to keep momentum or this thing is going to flip over!" Saya yelled back.

_Was I the only one that saw him!_ I thought _wait why do I care, why would I want to risk the lives of everyone here for him! He left and now I'm leaving, payback is a bitch right…! But then why wont my heart stop beating so damn fast, I'm a warrior how can I be letting myself become worked up… and screw it I'll think about this later_. My head was being flooded with thoughts as I turned and helplessly watched as more and more infected began to surround Gabriel. "Don't die, I'm the only one allowed to kill you remember" I whispered to myself.

_Gabriel POV_

"Damnit don't you guys take a hit!" I yelled as I pummeled and infected behind me with an elbow to the chin sending it reeling backward. I was able to get a glance at the bus that Saeko was on and I saw her staring at me for a brief moment until suddenly the bus lurched forward and began to accelerate away. I tried to pursue immediately but was cut off as the horde began surrounding me. I had to figure out something fast or else I would soon succumb to the dead's ranks.

I knew there was only one way that I would be able to catch that bus before it left me behind, and at the rate that it was traveling away I knew I only had mere seconds to make a decision. I grabbed one of the infected and spun it around then landed a kick to its back this in turn allowed me a little bit on breathing room, but it was all I needed. I dropped my hand to my side, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Soon I began to feel my body tingling all over as I subconsciously allowed my brain to fully open my adrenal glands. It was a technique I had learned by sheer accident during a mission in which I fully thought I was going to die. It allows me for a short period of time to use 100% of my muscle capacity giving me full use of my muscle and body. I let a half second tick by which was just long enough for me to allow myself to be completely surrounded by them and when I opened my eyes I felt as if my body was lighter than air as I drew both my hands back twisting at my waist I knew I would have one shot and one shot only so I targeted the nearest infected that was in the direction of where the bus was going ad release a double palm strike to the sternum which immediately cracked and broke and sent the body flying clearing a path in front of me. The strength of the blow was tremendous and I knew that I would need to rest those muscles soon or I would risk injury. I watched as the bus sped through the front gate and made a left just as I broke into my sprint, my body still full of adrenaline. _ Shit _I thought as I realized that there was only one way I was going to make it to that bus. I took an angle that would lead me into the path of a 10 foot rod iron fence that outlined the school. When I was within range I sprang from my feet and one hopped onto the top of the fence which was only lined by a row of brick pillars 6 inches wide by 6 inches tall. By now the bus was directly to my right and was picking up speed. I would have to move quickly to match that speed or my jump would miss badly. I gritted my teeth as I turned parallel to the bus and began running using the bricks as footing, _now or never!_ I thought to myself as I grabbed my knife and used all the power in my legs to drive off the fence and onto the top of the bus where landed hard while driving the edge of my knife into the sheet metal that made up the roof. I braced for impact as my inertia wanted to carry me off the other side. I tightened my biceps and gripped the handle of the knife as I felt my body slide off the edge my body slamming into the side of the bus, my knife cutting a foot long gash in the roof as it tried to slow my mass down. I felt my right shoulder dislocate as pain shot through my arm and traveled upwards to my neck. I did everything I could to not let go of the knife knowing that it was the only thing keeping me attached to this bus I grunted at the pain but was relieved when I felt the bus begin to slow down. As I did my best to use my dislocated shoulder to steady my body as I climbed the side of the bus to the roof where I dislodged my knife folded it and stuffed it in my packet with my good hand. Then I used my left to brace my right arm and hopped down from the roof when the bus had finally came to a halt and walked around to the door where it was already opened. I saw Ms. Shizuka and her huge attributes as well as Takashi and Rei standing in the doorway their hand open inviting me in "that was one hell of a jump" Takashi said to me with a smile

"I don't really want to did it again "I said with a chuckle as I boarded the bus and found Saeko staring directly at me a look of worry painted her face. "what you didn't think I was going to die did you?" it was a feeble attempt but I watched her turn her head from my gaze but just before she fully turned away I noticed something, I'm not sure what it was but I'd bet my left testicle that she smiled at me.

_Author POV_

Gabriel was in a great deal of pain. His dislocated arm hung from its socket and each step only brought on more pain. He did his best to fight thru the pain but somehow or another he was going to have to pop this thing into place. He only hoped that not too much damage had been done to the ligaments or tendons. Saeko barely moved at all as he walked by her and took a seat two seats back and across from her. Takashi was the first to break the silence, as the rest of the group just stared at Gabriel unsure of what to do or how to help. "Hey Gabriel, your arm don't look too good"

"Yeah you should have Ms. Shizuka take a look at it" a girl with pink hair that was tied in pigtails responded. As she turned in her seat to face Gabriel her breasts were hanging over the back of the seat giving him an all too good view of her busts.

Gabriel surveyed the group that was apparent on the bus. He came to the conclusion that he knew the people that were sitting in front of the bus. It seemed as though there was a rift between the two groups of people that occupied the cabin. Hirano Khota was a chubby but kind kid who Gabriel had saved earlier in the day he clutched in his hands what looked to be a rigged Nail gun _interesting_ Gabriel thought _ he seems very resourceful._ Next to him was a busty pink hair girl that was wearing glasses she was the one who suggested that Gabriel have the doctor look at his shoulder, he knew her name even though they had never been formally introduced. Saya Takagi, She was by far the definition of a genius,

Knowledgeable in pretty much every subject and even though she sometimes was arrogant she would defiantly become an asset to the group. The next two were Takashi Kumoro and Rei Miyamoto who sat just in front of Saya and Khota_,_ on opposite sides of the isle. Takashi was a delinquent but also very charismatic a trait that would come in handy when dealing with other people and Rei was an all-around package she was in the spear club and she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Gabriel just hoped that she wouldn't break under pressure. Ms. Shizuka was the driver but more importantly she was the doctor. Obviously she was very valuable because of her knowledge of medicine. That and the fact that she had massive tits didn't hurt either.

Then he turned to Saeko who was now looking at him with her peripherals, she seemed distant but curious at the same time. "It's ok she can look at it later" he responded as he was now staring at Saeko.

"What do you mean later?" Rei responded confused. Gabriel Never took his eyes off of Saeko as she slowly turned her body to face him her eyes were wide as she was trying to figure out where he was going with this.

Gabriel facial expression changed as it went from a serious look to a more sadistic smile. He felt the eyes of everyone on him but the only ones he was interested in were Saeko's dark purple eyes.

_Gabriel POV_

_Finally I got her attention_ I thought as I stood from my seat and used my left hand to guide my right arm to the edge of the seat where I gripped the side tightly. I now stood in the isle with my hand on the furthest edge of seat in front of me. I wanted her to see this, I don't know why but I wanted to prove something and even if I didn't know what it was I still wanted to do it. Her eyes were locked onto mine and mine onto hers. It was a battle of who would look away first she knew what I was going to do yet she did nor said nothing as if taunting me to do it. So as I smiled a wide sarcastic grin I thrusted my right shoulder forward, dislodging the bone from the side of my shoulder blade where it rested out of place and popped it back into the socket. It made a very audible pop and I felt a shooting pain escape from the joint and reverberate throughout my chest. It was painful, very painful but I'll be damned if I'm the first one to look away. So I kept smiling as I heard the rest of the population in the bus shriek in horror from me putting my shoulder back into place. Slowly the pain resided as I rotated my arm in the socket just to make sure it was all the way in never once looking away from Saeko.

"Reckless as always I see" she finally said to me

I expected nothing less then sarcasm as I shot right back "learned from the best princess "

Saeko movements were fast, and agile as she drew her practice sword and brought it on a downward strike aiming for my neck and shoulders. I brought my right arm up and intercepted the blow inches from my head. I felt the massive amount of energy impact my forearm as the blade and my forearm ended in a locked stalemate with her still pressing down hard. Any normal person and it would've snapped the bones in two, but I was not normal and even though it hurt I was not a stranger to taking pain. "you've gotten faster" I said, she was still trying to break my guard by adding more force to the blade pushing downwards.

"So have you" she said through squinted eyes. I could feel the venom in her words "and don't ever call me princess" a few seconds ticked by, nobody dared say a word.

"Saeko… I'm not her to fight with you, I'm here to fight beside you" I lowered my voice and tried to make it as soothing as possible I wanted her to know I really was here to help.

"Why, so you can wait till I'm vulnerable again then just disappear like you did last time!" I stared into her eyes I needed to pick my words carefully if I was to de-escalate this situation.

"I am standing right in front of you, I came back… I've always came back" I responded.

"five years!" she shouted as she put even more strength into her sword inching it closer to my face

This wasn't working, it was going in the wrong direction and I had to do something fast but my frustration with the entire situation between us had finally reached a boiling point, I didn't care about the damn monsters anymore all I wanted was for her to know that she was the reason why I was here. The only reason why I was there, "Saeko, I-" I wasn't able to finish as the bus came to a screeching halt

"Hey you guys cut it out we are supposed to be helping each other!" Ms. Shizuka yelled back at us, as she bent over looking at me and her extremely large breasts we dangling in front of her and I couldn't help but stare. A moment went by and I felt the sword being removed from my forearm

"Very well, my apologies Ms. Shizuka" Saeko responded in a calm tone.

"Yes I apologize as well" I said following suit, as I took my seat the pain started in on my arm and began throbbing _ill remember that Saeko._ Ms. Shizuka turned around back in her chair and kept on driving in complete silence.

About five minutes ticked by where nobody spoke until Hirano got antsy "hey Gabriel where did you learn how to fight like that?, I first you helped me back at school then you fought your way out of it you must be pretty strong huh?"

The question caught me off guard as I looked at Saeko, then back to Hirano "I've been fighting for a very long time, since I was young my Father taught me to fight he was Ex-delta force, but it wasn't until I met someone very dear to me that it all came together" I saw Saeko look at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh cool!" he said as a smiled brightly looking like a excited kid.

"You should totally join the group then" a creepy voice said from behind me. I watched as Saya, Takashi, Hirano and Saeko turned to look at Mr. Shido "who is you leader?" he then asked

"We don't have a leader" Saeko responded "we just banded together in order to save our lives that's all"

"Well that's not very good, every group needs a leader" he said bending down to her level. I watched her eyes, I could tell she wanted to lash out at him, but why she didn't only god knows.

"And I suppose you want to job?" Saya asked in a sarcastic tone. At this point getting pretty pissed off, I hated arrogant people, especially people who are arrogant and are on a power trip.

"Well I am the adult" he said slyly

"Yeah I nominate Mr. Shido!" a boy with bleached hair blurted out followed by several other students from the back agreeing with him.

I scanned the cabin of the bus and read the faces. Everyone in the back looked like they had a hard on for Shido while Saeko, Saya, Rei, Hirano, and Takashi didn't look very amused by that idea, even Ms. Shizuka looked extremely uncomfortable. It didn't take me long before I realized which group I was going with. But I sure as hell wasn't going to go unarmed. I began looking outside to see if I could find any landmarks that I recognized, when I found one I saw that I was very close to my house and more importantly my weapons. We were currently heading on a road carved in the side of a mountain, but it was a road I recognized since I would frequently ride my motorcycle here. The different elevation changes and combination of blind corners and sharp s turns made it's a very fun road to ride.

"Ms. Shizuka, stop the bus please" I said in an even tone as I got out of my seat pushing Mr. Shido aside "I wish to get off" I added as I stared into his eyes making my face expressionless

"But Mr. Gabriel, your skills as—" I didn't give him a chance to finish as I whipped out my blade and held it at my side. I then slowly turned my body and stood tall I am 6 ft 200 lbs of solid muscle this prick was maybe 5 ft 10 inches 160 one punch and I would break him into pieces

"Save it," I said still keeping my knife visible but letting it hang at my side "I don't take orders from you, I'm in thier group" I said motioning to everyone in front of the bus.

My sudden desire to exit the bus did not go uncontested as I felt Saeko eyes burn into the side of my head. She is so calm and composed and no one else noticed, but I caught her gripping the end of her practice sword so hard her knuckles were white. Obviously it was a response to me wanting to get off the bus.

"Wait a second Gabriel, you can't go out there, you'll be killed!" Rei said. A tone of obvious fear was found in her voice.

Takashi followed suit "yeah man if your part of the group then why are you leaving" his voice sounded more confused if anything

"I have a plan, don't worry ill meet up with you guys later, Takashi, Hirano it's up to you to keep these ladies safe… for now" I said as I walked down the aisle to the front of the bus.

"I don't know why you would want to go out there but I guess I can't stop you, be careful kay" Ms. Shizuka said as she slowed the bus down and opened the door

"Don't worry I'll see you soon" I said as I looked back and waived "Mr. Shido" I paused before I raised my left hand and extended my middle finger "Fuck you" and I walked out the door.

I was 5 yards step outs the door when I heard the sound of footsteps rushing my way I turned just in time to see Saeko Storming out of the bus and rapidly approaching me at a very fast walk. She spoke just loud enough for me to hear. I guess she was trying to let this be a conversation that only I would be listening to.

"So… just like that huh, you really are a son of a bitch" she hissed

"Instead of attacking me at every opportunity why don't you just ask me what I'm doing it's a lot more polite"

"I know what you're doing, you're leaving me again" her gaze never swayed from my eyes as we locked in on each other, "you're leaving me so you can save your own skin"

This royally pissed me off, now I understand she is mad at me but to say that I'm trying to save myself is just downright fucked up. I felt my body heat rise at that statement but I knew that this wasn't the time or place to argue. "Saeko, if that's really what you think then I'm sorry. But I'm not leaving I have to get ahold of my HQ as well as stock up on some weapons, we can't fight them with this equipment." I trailed off before continuing "I'm coming back, I always have"

"Are you going to wait another 5 years" she snapped back

That was it; I turned my body and walked over to her she had her eyes locked onto mine even when I was inches away from her she never stopped looking at me. I made sure I got as close as I can without touching her, it was hard she was so beautiful so elegant. I could smell her hair and feel her body heat, her eyes were dark and beautiful as I gazed into them I wanted so badly to just reach out and touch her but it would ruin the message. She had her practice sword in her hand but she made no attempt to strike. "Ill find you I promise" I waited for the attack but it never came we stood there for a few seconds until I broke the silence "please trust me and get on the bus, they need you right now"

Saeko didn't move and didn't say anything for what seemed like ages before she took a step back did a quick turn and walked back to the bus. I watched her hair flow back and forth which each step and immediately felt alone a feeling that I had grown accustomed to but for some reason it was different when she left, everything with her felt different.

When she had gotten to the door of the bus she turn and looked at me before saying "don't die Gabriel" she didn't wait for a response she just turned and walked inside.

I put my head down _I know, you're the only one allowed to kill me_ I thought myself as I watched the bus pick up speed and disappear around the curve of the mountain.

I waited until the bus was out of sight before I decided to start toward my house but not before looking over the ocean. It was beginning to get dark as the sun was setting and the sky was flooded with all different shades of orange, and purple. The ocean breeze gently blowing against my face feeling refreshing and cool, it was a beautiful sight as I savored the image trying my hardest to burn it into my memory. I knew that everything had changed; the city was presumably being overrun by infected. I pulled out m cell phone and dialed the secure number to AA headquarters which was located on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I needed a situation report and possibly some back up. _Come on _ I thought as the phone attempted to make a connection but I was rewarded with a busy tone indicating that the cell sites were all clogged up. It would be near impossible to get a call through cellular I would have to use an outside hardline. I ended the call and took a look around me. No infected were around but I was sure that there would be as soon as I entered the residential area. I decided that until I had a better weapon that it was just too dangerous to go head to head with a sizable pack with just a knife I had gotten through the school alright but I didn't want to press my luck, and disappoint saeko by being taken out by one of those freaks. I would have to use stealth as much as possible. I ran through the city streets as fast as I could without having too much trouble the majority of the way. When I was roughly about a block away I noticed the foul smell of rotting bodies as I ducked behind a large trash can at the mouth of an alley way. I peeked my head from around the trash can and surveyed the area. They were all just kind of roaming, not really even in the same direction even so much as to be bumping into each other and everything around them. There were easily around a hundred way too much to take on as a pack but if I could be quiet I might be able to sneak by them. I was about to make my move when all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of someone and they were holding what looked like a 12 gauge shotgun. The Man looked to be about 40 years of age and was wearing clothes that were stained from head to toe with blood. His had a feral look in his eyes "Die you bastards" he screamed as he fired a shot into the hoard. The infected all turned and began to pursue what would soon be their next meal. "This is for my Tomoki" he screamed as he pumped shell after shell into them. I could only assume that Tomoki was a daughter of a wife maybe, but as far as his well-being was concerned it didn't matter. That pump gun only holds 8 rounds maximum until he would have to reload and by that time they would be all over him. I thought briefly about jumping into the fray but my good will only goes so far and although I'm not a stranger to suicide missions, I still had a goal to keep. "_FUCK shut up and run you dumb bastard"_ I whispered silently to myself as I watched the pack of infected swarm the man. His gunshots were soon drowned by his screams as the living dead began to sink their teeth into his flesh, spilling his blood all over the concrete and the walls surrounding him. _Fuck _ I said to myself _well sir your death as unfortunate as it is has just made my job a whole lot easier_ I finished the thought and ducked out from behind my cover and ran to my apartment which was on the second floor of a small apartment complex. I made sure to be as quiet as I could as I walked quickly up the stairs, opened my front door and made sure to latch and dead bolt the lock shut. "ok, now to only take what I could carry" this made me smile a bit as I realized that every piece of armor and armament I had was meant to somehow be carried along with all my other gear. This was accomplished by me having made custom harnesses and holsters made for all my weapons and gear. I would start with the basics which was entitled to stripping down and putting on my lower body, Gore-tex combat boots, thick tight fitting skivvies for underwear that hugged my "assets" to prevent chaffing, Custom made AA form fitting armor that wrapped around my thighs, gluteus and private areas capable of withstanding type III weapons. Over that I would wear my urban camouflage made up of state of the art patterns involving different colors and shades of grey and black combinations. On my upper torso would consist of an under armor rash guard and over that another Custom made AA Form fitting ballistic vest to cover my chest and sides but offered no protection to my arms or shoulder due to my need in mobility. Then my weapons were next. I had made a custom harness that allowed me to hold my two tomahawks tightly at my sides under my armpits; they could be dislodged from a button on the bottom of each sheath. Then I had my dual leg holsters where I would house my two 1911's and the mag pouches would be placed along the belt at my waist and hip for easy access and quick reloads. Each Pouch would hold 2 fully loaded 10 round magazines of 45 caliber hollow points and one in the weapon giving me 7 magazines each handgun. On the middle of my back was another sheath that would hold my Katana. I finally grabbed the smith and Wesson and dumped it into the small of my back. Once all my weapons were in place I grabbed my equipment vest and slid that over my weapon harness. On the harness across the front was 4 magazine pouches each holding 2, 30 round pmags for my M6A3 Assault rifle giving me a total of 9 fully loaded magazines. Over my right shoulder was a sheath for my K-bar combat knife which I securely locked into place. I made sure that every pouch was loaded and every weapon was cocked and locked with the safeties on. I had everything locked into place except for my Katana to which I lightly grabbed out of its box where it laid. _Well my good friend it looks like the crimson ghost is back_ I thought to myself as I whipped it around my head and slid the blade into the sheath. I locked into place with a satisfying click and I was finally done with the weapons aspect. Now for any normal human being carrying this much weapons and ammunition would be completely over kill and way too heavy. But I am not a normal human being and while I did note the weight would undoubtly slow me down considerably, we would need these weapons and there was only one way to really carry them.

Now that I was fully armed I knew I needed to also take as much food and supplies as would allow to I grabbed my ruck as started filling it with MRE's water. I would pack three days' worth which I hoped would be more than enough to last until I met up with the others. I also made sure that I threw in my other simple holsters in the ruck before finally walking out the door.

I got about three steps before I had realized I forget something turn and ran back into the apartment where I grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels took a swig and threw it into the backpack as well. _ Can't forget the staple_ I thought to myself allowing a small chuckle as I closed the door and headed towards the city. I needed to find high ground.

_Heading toward city on bus_

"You ok Saeko?" Takashi asked in a worrisome voice.

"Tisk" she snorted "I'm fine don't worry about me" she finished as she flashed a smile toward him. Takashi gave her an apologetic look. "I'm serious don't worry about me what we need to be worrying about is what our next move is"

"Roger that" he said giving her a thumbs up then turning back to Rei. Saeko surveyed the group, Miss Shizuka was focusing on the road, Takashi and Rei were quietly conversing among themselves and Saya and Hirano were mostly staring off into space. Then there was the bastard Mr. Shido who was talking to the students in the back, something about him cleansing them of their sins or some bullshit. And they were hanging on his every word. _Disgusting _she thought before suddenly she found her mind filled with images and memories of her and Gabriel. Happy memories, stuff that she could never forget no matter how hard she tried and suddenly she found herself feeling extremely alone, which pissed her off as she gripped her practice sword tighter _don't die you sonavabitch_ she thought to herself _I'm not finished with you yet. _

_**Thank you all for reading!, I'm hoping to turn this into a epic story Review and Lemme know what you guys think!**__**and again THANKS!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**OK GUYS HERE IT IS THE NEXT CHAPTER! as always i do not own HOTD or any of its characters!**__  
_

_Gabriel POV_

I had to get to high ground I needed to see what was going on in my surroundings, to see how bad things really were. Also high ground would allow me to make a better contact with the satellite so I can finally get ahold of AA Headquarters. Given the current situation I am surprised that they haven't attempted to contact me then I remembered that the cell sites were jammed full of other people calling. Either way I needed backup and the only way that was going to happen was if I got through to HQ and asked directly. However traveling by foot was a nightmare and I constantly found myself either running form the dead or cutting through them. I was careful to use as much melee as possible since I had a limited amount of bullets and even though I was wearing a lot of gear my movements had only suffered a little bit of speed and power but were still crisp in technique so cutting through a small hoard while only using my tomahawks had been simple enough as long as their weren't too many. I had traced back toward the road that I got off the bus on and figured that I would follow that into the city then I would climb a building and make a call from the top. However it was already dark and I need a place to bunk up for the night. So I figured I would push on a little bit more and then find a place to sleep, I walked along the side of the road until I spotted a small two story building that looked to be like a small hotel which was surrounded by a rod iron fence it was two stories tall and the walls looked to be made concrete. It was right in the middle of two smaller building which looked to be boutique shops and a small market. It is a perfect place to bunk up for the night except for the fact that several infected had decided to make it their home. I stopped, took a knee and surveyed the area. I counted six outside of the gate, and from what I could tell it looked like around 4 or more with milling around just inside the fence. I felt a smile cross my face as I unsheathed my tomahawks and began walking toward the front of the house stopping about ten feet from the first of the undead. I studied the grotesque figure of what used to be a human. IT used to be a women dressed in a denim skirt, a green blouse and a black leather jacket. She had chunks of flesh missing on her lower legs and blood flowed freely from those wounds. Also her shoulder bones were showing where and infected most likely took a healthy bite out of her. Her skin was pale, devoid of all color except for the blood stained red that covered the right side of her body in blotches. Her eyes were dull and lifeless the pupil was glazed over. I could smell her already putrid flesh beginning to rot, and she was emitting a ever so noticeable moan that I had already pegged as one of the traits of the undead. "Hey ugly!" I yelled getting their attention "wanna taste?" I said as I drew back into a fighting stance, feet shoulder width apart, my left hand holding the tomahawk extended in front and my right holding the other diagonally across my chest and face. The ghouls turned toward me opened their mouths and began advancing on my position. I felt my body become lighter as my smile grew wider anticipation the following battle. _Come get some you freaks_ I said to myself as I drew back my left hand and brought it down diagonally across the neck of the women decapitating her head from her shoulders. Blood pour from the wound like a spout as her body dropped limp to the floor. I followed with my right coming horizontally from my chest, the blade end of my tomahawk finding the soft neck of another infected that was right behind the first one I dropped. The other four were spread out be still advancing unaware that their comrades of the dead had just been permanently sent to see Lucifer, I took one step forward placing me in front of the ghoul second farthest from the right, then I pivoted on my right foot and swung a backhanded slash which connected with the ghoul that was farthest on the right. This time the blade connected with the skull as I heard the bone shatter as the blade pierced the brain. I allowed my inertia to carry me full circle so that now the three remaining ghouls were to my immediate left, to which they in turn, turned and began walking toward my position in a near close single file line. I turned so that I was lined up face to face with them took a step forward and drove and upward slash through the jaw and frontal lobes of the first ghoul splitting the head up the middle, but before the body hit the ground I followed with backwards spinning roundhouse which knocked the ghoul to the left flying end over end and crashing to the ground in his own gore 10 feet from his previous position. The last two infected were now about 15 feet and 20 feet away from me respectively, _how about some target practice_ I said to myself as I took the tomahawk in my right hand and threw it end over end, pivoting on my right foot, sliding my left foot 180 degrees, twisting my body and throwing the tomahawk in my left hand backhanded. I watched with supreme joy as the first and then the second of the hawks found their marks right between the eyes of each infected lodging themselves in their skulls and putting them down for good.

I allowed myself to smile as I walked over to the corpses and retrieved my hawks. I still had work to do I had to clear that house.

The fence was around 8 feet tall and was made of solid brick with a study rod iron gate that swung in. I unsheathed my sword from its back holster and surveyed the area to my immediate right and left before finally peering through the gate. I immediately spotted the 4 undead who was roaming the front yard of the motel and continued to scan until I was absolutely sure that no more were lurking in the shadows. I studied the motel and it looked to be completely devoid of life. No noise, no movement and no lights. _So far so good_ I said to myself as I quietly climbed the brick wall careful to not make any noise. Once I was on top of the wall I took one more look around before jumping down landing carefully and quietly on my feet. I was silent enough that none of the infected had noticed my presence. I felt a smile appear on my face as I looked at the infected and yelled "hungry?". This got their attention as they all turned toward me let out low moans and began to close on my position. I got into my attack stance blade down and felt my body move on its own. I was fluid, fast and perfect as I lunged toward the infected and in what seemed like one fluid motion I decapitated all four heads from the shoulders of the now permanently dead. I listened for any more signs of the dead as I wiped the blood off my sword and sheathed it behind my back and made my way up the front steps and prepared to make entry. I upholstered one of my tomahawks and grabbed my combat knife from my chest. I listened hard trying to hear anything and was rewarded with the faint rustling of feet. It was slow and awkward but the steps told me that there had to be more than just one of them inside the door. I took a step back and took a long look at the door. It was made of heavy wood and looked to only have one deadbolt but if that was locked it was going to be difficult to get through it without making a lot of noise. I tried the doorknob which moved a quarter and inch before locking. "damnit" I said under my breath. I looked around me checking my corners and my six, all id need now is for one of the ugly fucks to come up behind me and fuck up my day. I Double timed back to the rod iron fence and made sure that it was locked. When satisfied I ran back to the door took a deep breath and placed myself directly in front of the door "going loud" I said as I drew my leg back and slammed my heel into the space just above deadbolt. The door shattered under the pressure splintering the door frame and releasing a loud _BANG!_ As it swung open to reveal the occupants inside, five infected each instantly alerted to my presence, each one of them hungry for a taste of my flesh. It was dark, very dark but because of my advanced training I could tell the exact locations by the sounds of their moans and the shuffling of their feet. I cocked my arm back and threw my hawk at the furthest infected, splitting its head in two, its brains falling from the crack in the skull where my hawk was lodged. I switched my combat knife to my right hand and pulled my other hawk from its sheath on my right side and engaged the infected closest to me and to my right. I thrusted my knife up and under the chin of now dead female infected, then pulled the knife from the brain and twisted counterclockwise on my front foot and used a back hand slash to remove the head. This put me to the extreme right with the other three infected lumbering toward me. I took two full strides and drop kicked the first infected sending him flying into a wall behind him. I landed in a crouched position and did a back handstand to put distance between me and the other three. My eyes were yet to adjust but using echolocation I was able to tell where the infected we located around the room. The one I just kicked into the wall was yet to get back to his feet but the other two were in a staggered formation separated by about 6 feet and advancing slowly. I smiled once again as I felt a very familiar sensation rush through my veins, my grip tightened on my hawk and knife as I lunged toward the one on the closest to me and to my left and used a downward slash to the top of the first infected skull slicing it in two, the inertia of the hawk carried it through the entire skull where I used the momentum to execute a roundhouse kick to the side temple, the force of the kick literally sending shards of bone in the air. The body made a sickening thud as the head landed face first and broke apart the rest of the skull like a glass vase. This move placed me with my back to the infected which was behind the one I just put down. I twirled the combat knife in my hand around the gripped it by the blade with the sharp edge down then I flicked my arm backwards from the elbow flicking the wrist launching the blade straight into the right eye of the infected. The body instantly slumped to the floor crashing down in a heap. By then the infected I had dropped kicked into the wall had finally regained its footing and was now standing. I sheathed my hawk and walked directly up to the abomination and stopped about 3 yards in front of it. I listened carefully piecing together a picture of the abomination that was laboring to get to me. I made no movement to any of my weapons no this one I was going to take down with my hands, I closed my eyes enabling my senses to fully rely on hearing. I painted the picture of the creature in front of me and when it was in range I executed a perfect low kick being sure to put all my strength and power into the blow which connected directly on the outside of the infected knee. The ligaments and tendons stressed and snapped as I drove my leg through completely buckling the infected to its knees and simultaneously sweeping its footing from under it causing the bag of bones to fall to its side. It angled its head toward me and let out a low moan to which I silenced by bringing down my boot directly on its teeth crushing its skull spreading blood and bone laterally. I smiled with pleasure as I opened my eyes to find that they had adjusted finally to the darkness and I looked about the lobby of the small hotel. It was pretty basic front desk in the center and one staircase to the left that lead upwards to what I'm assuming was the rooms. If I was to make camp here I would have to make sure that everything was al clear.

It took me the better part of 15 minutes to thoroughly check all the rooms and clear them of the dead. After each room was designated clear I shut would shut the door and mark an X on the front so I knew it was empty. I found a room on the 2nd floor that overlooked the front courtyard and gave me a clear view of the street below. The street was illuminated by the streetlights which gave off and eerie look. "this will do" I said to myself as I locked the door and made sure the deadbolt and safety bolt were secure before I let my stuff down and shed off all my equipment save for my two handguns making sure they were both loaded and safety's on. I lay down on the bed got comfortable and let the darkness wash over me and drifted off to sleep.

_**BANG! BANG!**_ I instantly awoke at the sound of two shots. I quickly grabbed my handguns and scanned the room only to hear the reports of more gunshots. They were close _real_ close. I scurried off the bed and crouched down low as I made my way over to window and peered outside. Night still covered the landscape illuminated only by streetlights and the ever watching eye of the moon. It revealed several hundred of them walking steadily toward my location. They looked to be pursuing six to seven people who were firing into the hoard. A closer look reveled the men were wearing tactical clothing and holding Howa type 64 rifles, weapons that only the SDF used. _Japanese regulars, what the hell are they doing here? _ These prompted me to quickly grab my rifle and run out the door and down the stairs where I flung open the front gate and yelled! "Hey over here!" I said swinging my arms and waving in their direction. One of the soldiers turned and hesitated, obviously taken aback by the sight of me. Then signaled to rest of the squad to my position, I watched as they turned and fled inside the gate to which I slammed shut and quickly locked before the horde of infected could bust through.

"Thanks for the rescue" one of the soldiers said to me in Japanese

"No problem I'm always here to help." I responded back once again catching the attention of the soldiers.

"Ah you speak Japanese?"

"Obviously" I said with a smirk.

"Anyway I'm lieutenant Kimiyo, Japanese self-defense force"

"Major Gabriel Kael, AA private military pleasure to meet you" I responded putting out my hand so that he could shake it.

"What?!" he said with great disbelief "your joking right, I mean you're what 16, 17 years old, there's no way your part of a mercenary force. Especially one of that stature"

"Actually I'm 18 and look we got bigger problems right now then debating about if I'm telling the truth or not," I said annoyed, while gesturing over to the infected who had their arms sticking through the rod iron gate.

"… Uhh, right yeah" he said

"Follow me" I replied as I motioned for them to follow me inside. I looked around at the squad there were a total of 7 including LT Kimiko. They looked battered and torn up. Obviously demoralized "so how many did you lose?" I asked the LT as I lead them up and into my room

"4" he replied before lowering his head "Good men too"

"I'm sorry to hear that"

He nodded, "So is this place secure?" he said not wasting any time to change the subject "I mean did you clear this entire place out?"

"yup the ones you saw downstairs where the only tough ones if you wanna call it that, after that it was just a clean mop up" I said as we came to the door to my room and I opened the door allowing us to go inside. "You guys have a seat I'll get some water and some chow for you guys looks like you can use it." The LT hesitated before motioning for the squad to sit he looked over his men who were making very audible sighs of relief, that was until his eyes rested on my gear that I had left near the window. I watched as he walked up to my stuff and picked up my weapon.

"This is some heavy shit you got, where did you get this? "

"It's my personal rifle" I responded

"And theses tomahawks and katana?"

"Mine as well"

"Are you fucking serious" he said his eyes widening

"Yup, now if you can put down my shit id greatly appreciate it" I said with a smile as I walked over to my stuff and opened my rucksack and distributed the MRE's and water to his men. They all nodded thanks as I handed out the last of my supplies.

"Why are you helping us?" the LT said as he stares at the bottle of water in his hand distain painted on his face.

"Why not, you're not trying to eat me so you're ok in my book"

This earned me a chuckled from the LT. I smiled and looked back into my rucksack to see the bottle of Jack Daniels. _Aww what the hell_ I said to myself as I grabbed to bottle stood and turned to face the LT. "look I know you're on duty but I promise I won't tell your superiors if you have a drink with me. You and your men deserve a shot."

He hesitated before finally saying yes. So I un-corked the bottle and handed it to the LT "Sorry no shot glasses so be sure to tell your men not to backwash" I said with a chuckle. Again he laughed before telling his men.

"You heard the man, mind your manners and dont drink like a bunch of animals" he said at almost a shout

"HAI!" the all responded in unison, I laughed as I grabbed my weapons and began suiting up. When I was finished I grabbed my rifle and peered out the window. The situation was getting worse. The moans from the infected were doing nothing but attracting more and I knew that little gate wasn't going to hold forever. We needed to get out of here and quick.

"LT" I said as I motioned him over to me. He looked out the window and almost instantly the color was gone from his face.

"Shit, what the fuck is going on" he said almost at a whisper

"It doesn't matter," I replied "all that matters is that they are trying to kill me and you and all your men, and I don't know about you but I don't feel like becoming a zed meal."

He nodded "so what do we do?" he asked me

"I say we hole up here and pick them off, we have adequate cover and the high ground. it's perfect." a voice sounded behind me. The LT and I turned to see one of his men standing while clutching his weapon across his chest. His sudden outburst earned him the grumbles of appreciation and agreements from his squad mates. Which given their certain predicament is understandable but ultimately a death wish. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the LT nodded in approval and looked at me. I knew that if we stayed there we would soon run out of ammo and be forced to fight close quarters, there was just simply too many and once they broke through that gate it would be the end of us. I had confidence that I'd be able to fight that many in close quarters but I in no way wanted to risk more than I needed. "Your name soldier." I said standing tall and positioning my body directly toward the man.

"Corporal Sakura" he said obviously annoyed that I was talking to him in an authoritive tone. I looked at the LT who was giving me a look that said _where you are going with this_. I turned back to the corporal before speaking "Weapons and ammo check!" my voice resounded through the small room making some of the men jump at the raising of my voice. The squad kind of looked around the room in disarray, and then their eyes landed on the LT who nodded for them to carry out the order. Each of the men started pulling out all their magazines and weapons while calling out the number of mags each one had and for each weapon. This was a problem; the most each one had been 3 mags for their rifle and 2 for secondary, while least only had 1 and 1.

I shook and allowed a small chuckled as I realized the problem to the corporal plan. "You telling me that you want to stay here and pick them off from an elevated position behind a reasonable amount of cover?" I said to him while smiling

"Exactly, we have the tactical advantage" he replied while walking over to me. He was pushing his chest out attempting to make himself look bigger than me which only made me laugh more because I was easily 3 inches taller and 30 lbs. heavier.

"And what happens when you run out of ammo and all your shots have done is alert more of them to your position. What will you do then, throw rocks?" I said to him "Haven't you ever Heard of the Alamo?"

This must have pissed him off because suddenly he swung at me. It was a looping over head right thrown for power not speed and sloppy too, telegraphing the entire way to my face. I sidestepped and delivered a low kick to the back of his knee buckling him to his knees. His squad mates instantly raised their rifles toward me as I drew my pistols and aimed one directly at the corporal head and the other toward the general direction of the squad who were now taking defensive stances while leveling their rifles at my head.

"Hold your fire!" the LT voice boomed throughout the room. Everybody looked around for a moment me. I was the first to lower my pistols and holster them, followed shortly by the rest of the squad. The corporal rose to his feet and stepped back and away from me and rejoined the team. The LT then strode over to the corporal "You do that again and I'll shoot you myself" he beamed at the man

"Yes sir" the corporal responded without looking his superior in the eye.

"And you" he said pointing to me "what the Fuck is the Alamo" The LT asked

"It was a famous siege that took place in Texas during the Mexican-American war where a force of maybe 200 men held off the entire Mexican Army for 13 days before they were overrun. Which is exactly what will happen here if we don't move; sure we can kill a lot of them and maybe even survive for a few days. But sooner or later you are either going to run out of ammo, food and water and once that happens your be the next meal ticket. So I'm leaving I got more important things to do then die.

"Alright Major, you have my attention what your plan then?"

"First off Just Gabriel is fine, I'm not in your chain of command and these are not my men" I said

"Ok Gabriel, what is it you intend to do?"

I smiled before replying "how many of you are tired of running away?"

_**20 minutes later**_

"Well it's as good a plan as any" the LT said leaning back against the wall. I looked around at the faces of the men as they stared at the piece of paper where I had drawn out what I wanted them all to do.

"Any objections?" I asked. A few seconds went by as nobody spoke. "Good."

The plan wasn't very difficult there were eight of us total so we would attack in waves in order to keep a constant rate of fire on the dead allowing us to establish a little bit of space so that if and when we ran out of ammo and switched to melee we wouldn't be bunched up and ultimately overwhelmed, cause once that happened we were all dead. I made sure that everyone had at least two magazines each for their primary, another two for their secondary weapons, and a sturdy melee weapon. There were three teams; the LT and I were in the first team. I would be responsible for opening the rod iron gate, then I'd run back to our staging position roughly 4 yards from the gate to which I'd take a knee and the LT would roll a frag grenade into the front of the horde which would hopefully create some distance between us and the dead. After the grenade detonates me and the LT would then press the entrance gate and unload the first of our mags in a sweeping motion dropping more of the infected. Once we had expended our magazines we would fall back behind the next fire team made of three shooters designated fire team 2 who would in essence leap frog us into the front where they would in turn do the exact same thing the LT and I did, fire their weapons in a sweeping arch cutting a hole in the undead line. While Fire Team 2 is firing the LT and I would be simultaneously reloading our weapons while following the 2nd team of three shooters or Fire Team 3 would then take Fire Team 2 place once they had ran their weapons dry. This would allow our small force of only 8 men to have a constant rate of fire allowing those who weren't firing to reload and get ready for the next salvo. I figured only one magazine a person should do the trick to get us out into the open with enough space between us to allow us to cut right through the horde and make a break for cover elsewhere. That would leave each man with at least one Magazine for their primary and Two for their secondary in which they would be able to use once we were in the open to cut down any infected that get too close, they also would have their melee weapons in case the infected got too close or they ran out of ammo. While the plan was simple, it did have its drawbacks. For in order for this plan to work we would have to not only shoot fast, but shoot accurately since the infected only dropped with head shots. A few misses and we were all going to die.

"Just remember never stop moving, and do not get caught out there alone" I said looking around the room.

"Just one question?" one of the men piped up. I nodded in his direction to continue "I understand the constant fire part. But that group is huge, who's is gonna lead the assault once we have emptied our first Magazines?"

This caused me to smile widely "after you empty your first magazine. Stay in a V formation behind me. I'll get us out, as long as you don't break formation and keep on moving you will survive this."

"You're going to lead" the corporal asked "take on that horde alone, who do you think you are? We lost 4 men in a matter of minutes to those freaks and you really think that you can just cut through them?"

"Look shit head if you want to lead then be my guest, but given how I already could've royally kicked your ass I suggest you shut the fuck up." I paused to see if he would protest but all I got from him was a blank stare.

The LT then intervened "look Gabriel I don't know who the fuck you are or what you are capable of but are you absolutely sure you can do this?"

"Now is the time to trust me that I am who I say I am and that I do have the skills to get you and your men out of here"

The LT just nodded toward me and silence fell over the room.

"Alright, Lets do this" I said as I racked the slide to my rifle and walked out the door.

_**Authors POV**_

Gabriel led the squad out the room door and down the stairs. Nobody spoke, for no one except Gabriel was sure that this plan was going to work. No one including the LT

_What the hell am I doing _the LT thought to him as he silently walked behind Gabriel eyeing him up and down? _I'm taking orders from a kid, but why? Why do I feel so apprehensive but at the same time calm that he knows what he's doing? _He looked Gabriel studying him. For he had no idea why he was allowing a stranger to literally take control of his squad, maybe it was the way Gabriel carried himself, or the way he spoke. Or maybe it was because he said he was from AA private military _there's no way_ he thought to himself as he tried to talk himself out believing it _AA is a prestigious Private military, and the USA trump card when dealing with foreign affairs. They have operators that make the GSG, navy seals, and SAS look like recruits, there's no way a kid who's that old could even possibly make the selection process… wait unless he's_ he thoughts was silenced by Gabriel's voice

"OK guys once we are outside, eyes alert, and keep your breathing as under control as possible cause if you get too worked up you won't be able to hit the side of a barn with a shotgun, and in this situation precision is key. Remember your training, follow my lead and I'll get you home" Gabriel said as he approached the door that led outside. He paused, turned and looked at the LT "Remember you guys are professionals, and they are dead. They got nothing on you, so let's show them the door to Lucifer himself and send them on the merry fucking way!" Gabriel's voice boomed through the lobby.

"HELL YEAH!" the LT along with the rest of squad yelled filling the air with excitement. _Fuck it _the LT thought _I don't know why but I feel as though id follow this kid to the depths of hell itself!_

Gabriel smiled he knew that a squad of professionals alone was dangerous. But a squad of professionals with a high morale was pretty much unstoppable. He turned on his heel and opened the door.

The air was still and smelled of death and decay. The night was black illuminated only by scattered streetlights and the ominous glow emitting from the moon that watched over the carnage that lay before it with a silent stare. Gabriel could've sworn that he felt the moans of the dead shake the molecules that made up his body, for other than the Dead nothing else could be heard. He looked from side to side keeping his guard up before he focused his attention on the rod Iron Gate that was keeping the monsters at bay and stepped into the court yard. He could feel the gazes of seven different individuals all trained on him, "Ok positions guys remember, shoot and move do not stop, and absolutely do not miss" Gabriel said as he motioned for the squad to line up in three rows one right after another. Everyone took a second to check if they were cocked and locked then one by one gave a thumb up signaling they were ready. Once they all were in position the LT grabbed one of his frag grenades and pulled the pin by didn't release the Safety Lever. Gabriel walked up to the Iron Gate which had several sets of arms from the dead attempting to grab him from the other side. He smiled as he gripped the hilt of his katana and in one swipe dismembered the limbs which all fell to the floor in a heap. Gabriel kicked the dead limbs aside and grabbed the deadbolt of the fence turned back toward the LT and the rest of the squad "Weapons ready!" he said. The squad raised their rifles at the order. "On my Mark!" Gabriel then held up his hand and displayed 5 fingers which he motioned as a countdown from five "5-4-3-2-1-MARK!" he yelled as he ripped the deadbolt from its position, threw the gate open and immediately sprinted back to the Squads position. The LT wasted no time and lobbed the grenade at the dead, which took one bounce and rolled between the legs of the first line of infected that had already began to shuffle through the gate. The dead walked slowly but the detonation of the grenade seemed like ages and Gabriel could feel the tension of the men behind him increase as they waited for the detonation. "Steady Boys!" he yelled a half second before the grenade finally went off. A deafening BOOM! Shook the air, as blood, bone and debris were thrown in the air, causing the squad to shield their eyes from the explosion, Gabriel waited a quarter second before looking up to survey the damage. The dead were still advancing but the ones who had made it inside the gate were in pieces. The Iron Gate had been blown completely off and the brick now had chunks missing from its edges. But the desired effect had taken place as there was now about a 10 foot gap between the entrance and the next wave of them. "Go" Gabriel shouted as he put holes in the heads of some of the infected who were still moving inside the gate and rushed just outside the fence the LT in tow. Once outside the gate the squad stacked up. The horde was larger than expected, and all Gabriel could see were the broken and mangled bodies of the infected advancing on their position. He heard the LT mutter "shit" under his breath

"LT OPEN FIRE!" Gabriel yelled as he pulled the trigger. The rounds began to spit from the barrels of the rifles. The LT and Gabriel both leaned into the recoil to absorb the expended energy allowing for a more sustained rate a fire with greater controllability. Gabriel watched as the projectiles impacted the heads of the infected dropping them in their tracks. Bits of bone visible through the muzzle flash leapt into the air. Gabriel smiled as he felt Adrenaline coarse through his veins; he used his training to take advantage of this and focused on his movements. Almost immediately he noticed his reactions become shaper and more defined. His movements more crisp and fluid, his hearing and eyesight became broader and focused at the same time. He saw and noticed everything. The bullet that exited the barrel of his rifle and entered the infected just right above the left eye, which left a small hole in the skull but blew the back of the skull off resulting in an instant kill that dropped the infected immediately making a makeshift blockade making the next infected that took its place fall over clumsily. The smell of blood and gunpowder reached his nose, he inhaled deeply just as his weapon clicked empty. Half second later he heard the LT's weapon click empty

"Switch, Fire team two drop 'em!" Gabriel yelled as he and the LT turned on their heels and ran to the back of the formation reloading as they went "Advance!" he yelled, the order was given and the group began to move forward through the horde. The LT and Gabriel began picking off infected that broke through the lines, however one of the men from Fire Team three got antsy and raised his rifle "Fire Team 3 hold your fire!, wait till Team 2 is finished!" the soldier immediately lowered his rifle but Gabriel still noticed the apprehension and so did the LT

"Hold your ground stick to the plan!" the LT yelled out in between shots. This seemed to ease the men as Team 2's weapons began to run dry.

"Fire Team 2 Switch!" Gabriel yelled, he watched as the 2nd fire team turned and ran to the back of the formation and reloaded their weapons. "Fire team 3 Burn 'em!"

When Team 3 opened up Gabriel noticed that they were moving, but it seemed as though the horde only got thicker as they moved forward and not thinner. "We need to pick up our feet men! Shoot and move like you got a fucking purpose!" he yelled. _Shit we need to move fast our buffer zone is getting smaller_ he thought to himself as he notice the infected were getting closer. Not necessarily Melee weapon close, but almost. He ended the thought and went back to picking off the infected that got two close "Team 2 pick your targets and FIRE!" he said as he heard the reports from the rifles behind him open up along with the automatic fire from the rifle in front of him. With each shot his adrenaline spiked, and with each adrenaline spike his senses became sharper. He could feel the disturbance in the atmosphere each time a shot rang out, _fuck yeah!_ He thought as his weapon went dry a second time just as Team 3 finished unleashing their salvo of lead. "Team 3 switch, Pick your targets and fire!" he said as he reloaded his weapon.

The LT looked at Gabriel, then at the Undead that lay before them. They were totally surrounded but still moving forward _shit what now!_ He thought to himself as he looked back at Gabriel who to his shock and awe slung his rifle behind his back and drew out his Katana. _What the fuck is he insane there's no wa…_ his thought was cut prematurely as Gabriel looked at him. His eyes seemed glazed over and his pupils were extremely large, so large that they looked pitch black. Yet he noticed something in the young man that stood before him, he was smiling.

"Fall in behind me men! Do not stop shooting and do not stop moving. We are getting the Fuck out of here!" Gabriel yelled as he took and attack stance waited a half second so that the men could register the order then lunged at the wave of undead in front of him. His first cut separated three bodies of the infected at the neck removing the heads from their bodies. His second strike used the momentum from the last as he brought his sword back around which found the necks of four more infected which resulted in the same effect. He next plant kicked one of them knocking over 4 more behind the one he kicked. He then use three slashing strikes one coming from below the torso in and upwards motion, followed by one horizontally and ending with a downwards slash coming across his body. The simple combination left 7 bodies of the infected now completely lifeless on the blood stained street.

"Holy Shit!" the LT said under his breath. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed for in the course of only a few seconds this 18 year old kid had opened up a 10 yard gap in front, between the squad and the rest of the infected. "Let's move men, Gabriel can't have all the fun!" he yelled earning him a resounding yell in approval from the rest of the mean who were just as shocked as he was from what they had just witnessed. They began to move forward but this time at a much faster pace.

Gabriel was cutting through the horde; each strike littered the street with more of the now dead undead. His body moving without thought, on pure instinct, fast and accurate, but it wasn't fast enough for he still could not see the end of the horde. _Shit must move faster!_ He yelled at himself in his head. Gabriel then drew the Tomahawk that was holstered on his right side. "Alright fuckers, let's dance!" He yelled as he lunged again this time pushing his body to move faster. The Hawk that was now in his hand allowed him to quicken his speed considerably at the expense of power, resulting in his desired effect for now he was able to engage the dead quicker and even with the loss of power Gabriel was able to kill more of them with much greater speed allowing him to cut through them faster.

The LT was beginning to feel as though they really would make it out. He had never seen someone move the way Gabriel did, so gracefully. His power was unreal, but his speed was unnervingly fast. He watch with admiration as Gabriel carved their way through the ranks of the undead. _Were gonna make it!_ He allowed himself the thought before something caught his ears.

"SHIT there's too many!" one of the men behind the LT yelled out. This cause the LT to turn and he went white at the sight. While Gabriel was busy at the front the men behind him had fallen off pace and the infected were now almost completely on top of them.

"Fuck, Gabriel trouble at the back!" The LT yelled as he turned and fired his rifle into the side of the temple of an infected that was just about to take a bite out of one of the men in Fire team 3. He stopped and turned and began firing into the crowd of them but was hit with a sickening feeling when his rifle clicked empty. _Aww fuck _he thought to himself as he reached for his secondary.

Gabriel turned and immediately felt his stomach drop as the infected got closer to the squad. He then watched in horror as the LT turned and started making his way to the back of the formation braking rank _SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT! _ He yelled in his head. He knew that if they broke rank they would soon be devoured, he had to think and think fast before that happened. So he quickly sheathed his katana and tomahawk and drew out his handguns, flipped the safety to the off position and took aim.

The LT had his pistol out and was firing into the horde desperately trying to keep them off his men. All around him his squads rifles began running out of ammo and they all began switching to their secondary weapons, but without the rifles their shots became sloppy and wild wasting precious ammo. The LT aimed and fired but his weapon ran dry just as an infected lunged at him _so this is how I die_ he thought as he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable

"Like hell asshole!" Gabriel yelled as he fired a round from his handgun. The 1911 jumped in his hand as the round left the barrel and flew straight through the side of the infected head that was mere inches from taking a bite out of the LT. he then shifted his aim and with both handguns drawn began to fire into whatever abomination that came too close to the group. It was accurate fire, his shots never missing a target but just as he would put one down another would take its place _shit, this aint working we need to get out of here_ he thought as he took in his surroundings. Some of the men had already switched to their melee weapons and were clubbing and slashing desperately at the infected.

_Jesus Christ how are his shots so precise!_ The LT thought as he watched Gabriel dual wield the 1911's. Each round finding its mark in the head of an infected, that's when it hit him, _hold up, Dual 1911's, dual tomahawks, a katana, and unparalleled speed power and marksmanship, Major Gabriel Kael AA Private Military Corp? It can't be, he was supposed to be only a myth! Wait that means…holy shit" _the LT finished the thought for he now knew who Gabriel really was.

_I guess I have to use that_ Gabriel thought to himself as he quickly reloaded his handguns with fresh 10 round magazines. "Squad prepare to run, I'm going to open up a hole!" _ok now focus_ Gabriel thought as he made his way back to the front of the squad. The LT watched from about 20 feet as Gabriel lowered his handguns to his side and closed his eyes. _Breathe, relax, let your mind take over_ Gabriel recited to himself. Even though his eyes were closed he could feel the dead's presence close in around him. He took a deep breath and released it slowly; he began to feel his body get lighter as the technique began to take effect. _Almost there, just a few more seconds _he said as he took another breath

"What the fuck are you doing!" the LT yelled at Gabriel, who stared in disbelief at what he was observing. Gabriel had completely lowered his defenses and the dead was closing in around him their arms mere feet away searching for his body so that they could devour him. The cause the LT to break into a run toward Gabriel, he had a pipe in his hand. He was about two steps away when he noticed an infected was almost on top of Gabriel, yet Gabriel did nothing, he just stood there with his eyes closed _what's he going to do just allow himself to get eaten?_ The LT then cocked his hand back that held the pipe and brought it straight down on the infected whose jaws were just inches away from Gabriel's shoulder crushing the skull. "Snap the fuck out of it Bastard!" the LT yelled at Gabriel

_Ok that should do it, and thank God I thought I was a goner back there_ Gabriel thought to himself as he opened his eyes and looked directly at the LT. "Squad stack up prepare to run!" He yelled

This caught the LT by complete surprise for Gabriel's eyes were now completely black, no whiteness could be seen on any part of his eyes, yet they looked focused. This sent a chill down the LT's spine and almost literally scared the shit out of him.

Gabriel looked at the LT and smiled. Not too many people had seen him use this technique and lived to tell about it. It allowed him to briefly use the entirety of his body to its full potential without the "safety" restrictions the brain used to protect the body. He then raised his handguns and fired 180 degrees in front of him spreading his arms wide, beginning at the very edges and bringing his arms inward toward his chest. He emptied his magazines without a wasted shot. Not one misses. Once he expended his ammunition he quickly holstered the handguns and drew out his Katana this time he would focus on power. "Get Ready!" he yelled once more, looked back at the men who were still fighting off the dead with their melee weapons, then looked at the LT before averting his attention directly in front him _I'm coming Saeko_, he said before he lunged at the horde.

The Attack was devastatingly powerful and faster than the LT had ever seen. Gabriel's Katana was just a blur and each strike cut down numerous bodies. The power alone knocking over several of the infected, he stood in bewilderment until he noticed his squad began to run around him toward Gabriel position punching, kicking and pounding any infected that tried to get close. "SHIT" he yelled before taking off after his men.

_**Gabriel POV**_

I could feel my arms begin to get heavy and I slashed and stabbed my way through the horde. I took a quick glance backward to see if the squad was in tow which I was relieved when I saw they were. The technique I used while it was very powerful it drained my energy at an alarming rate I called it the LIMITER Technique, but it did much more than that as well. Because I had allowed my brain to used its senses to its full potential without restrictions, it would mean that there would be inevitable muscle damage and if I used it too long, the supporting tendons and ligaments or worse my bones would begin to wear away, which would ultimately render me fucked cause id be paralyzed. When I use the technique I try not to use it for more than 30 seconds because with 30 seconds of use my body would be able to repair the damage with a little rest, but if I used it for too long then it would require me to get a large amount of rest making me bedridden for day or weeks, and if I use it for a long period of time my body might never heal. I kept a timer ticking in my head as I quickly realized that I needed to break through the lines or else id be in some serious trouble. I Drew my sword across my chest unleashing a devastating blow that decapitated 6 infected and knocked over several more behind it, it was after that blow that I was finally able to catch a glimpse of an open street behind about 15 more of the infected that lay in front of me. The clock in my head ticked 23 seconds.

"ALMOST THERE" I boomed as I readied my final attack and drew my sword backward at hip height with the blade pointed down. I spread my feet apart and held the Katana with one hand on the hilt the other below it. Then I exploded forward and performed and upwards strike then countered downward while keeping my momentum forward, _28 seconds _the clock ticked in my head as I lowered my shoulder and drove it into the sternum of the infected that was in my path lifting it off its feet and driving it into the other infected behind him knocking them all aside while I tumbled end over end and onto the empty street the horde now behind me. "FUCKING RUN!" I yelled as the squad used the whole that I had made as a human bowling ball to double time it through the Undead line and out into the vacant street where I was. _30 _I said to myself as I closed my eyes and breathed deeply returning my body to its normal state while simultaneously stabbing the infected body that lay at my feet. Immediately I felt the effects of the technique as now my body felt like it weighed a ton and the soreness began to kick in as lactic acid filled my muscles. _Damn that's gonna hurt tomorrow_ I said to myself as I grunted toward the pain.

"Hey get your ass up we aren't out of this yet" one of the men yelled at me and offered his hand out helping me up. I gladly took his hand and got to my feet, nodded and began to use what little energy I had left to run away from the horde that was now turning toward us in pursuit.

We lost the main pack and evaded a few other infected shortly after breaking through the line, but that didn't stop us from running close to 3 miles anyway. When we were fairly certain that we were safe we stopped at a gas station along the side of the main highway that lined a river that separated two sides of the city. Since no one else had any ammo except for me I elected to clear out the convenience store. It was obviously abandoned but the front sliding door was locked so I wondered if the owners had just left when shit hit the fan and for some reason locked up fearing looters might destroy their shop. I used my Ka-bar to pry open the door and slid it open while bringing my rifle up. I scanned the store which looked vacant and everything was in order. No signs of looting or anything being taken, but even better I didn't see any signs of them, no blood, no awkward shuffling of feet, no stench of rotting flesh. I didn't lower my guard however as I made my way through the aisles and check the back of the store. When I was satisfied that is was empty I motioned for the rest of the men to go inside. They immediately went for the water and sports drinks gulping them down quickly. I grabbed water and downed the entire bottle as I slumped over and leaned against the glass of the refrigerators. My body ached, and I did my best not to show the men that I was in a great deal of pain and I tried to focus on something else other than my body. When I noticed then sun was coming up draping the landscape with its warmth and light chasing away the darkness.

"That was one hell of a fight, for a moment there I didn't think we were going to make it out" I heard the LT's voice from my left

I sighed before nodding my head "Yeah it was close, too damn close" I said as I let out a low chuckle

A few seconds passed by as I studied the small convenient store. Nobody was saying much, mostly just whispering amongst them. My eyes found the Corporal who lock eyes with me and nodded in my direction. I smiled and nodded back. "So what's next" the Lt asked me.

"I have to meet up with some people across the river" I replied not looking at him but my eyes now looking out the front door and out across the river into the buildings on the other side. I silently wondered to myself how I was going to find the other for I had no idea where the hell they were and if they were even ok.

"And how are you going to do that?" he asked me

I looked at him and smiled "I have no fucking clue" he laughed at my statement as he realized I was serious. "What about you guys, what are you going to do?"

"well seeing we have no ammo left, I think we will hole up in here and ask for and see if we can be extracted so we can re-group and re-arm ourselves." The LT responded

"Wait do you have a radio?" I asked, if the LT had some sort of communications satellite I might be able to Contact my HQ

"Only a two way" he replied

"Damn" I said as I rose to my feet and began checking my equipment, reloading my weapons with fresh magazines and checking my sword and tomahawks for damage. When I was satisfied I headed for the door.

"Leaving already?" the LT said to me as he walked up behind me. I turned around to face him before I got outside "don't suppose I could talk you into saying, I mean we could really use someone of your skill set.

I shook my head and didn't say anything.

The LT sighed shook his head then responded "I guess it's no use, well Good luck…Crimson Ghost" he said putting emphasis on the Crimson Ghost part.

My eyes went wide before I began laughing "You caught me" I replied in between fits of laughter

"Thank you sir, we owe our lives to you. But I still can't believe I really met you. The stories must be true" He said with admiration in his voice

"Well I don't know about that Lieutenant, but you are welcome." I replied as I held out my hand

The Lieutenant hesitated before grabbing my hand and giving it a firm shake, he then snapped a very crisp salute to which when the rest of the squad saw they in turn saluted towards me. This took me by surprise as I was taken aback by the sudden signs of respect. So I turned toward them and saluted. I held the gesture for a few seconds before calling out "At Ease". I then looked at the LT and nodded my approval, turned and walked out the door.

I got 5 steps before I heard the Corporal voice behind me "Sir!" he said almost in a yell. I turned to find him running out the door toward me

"Yes corporal, what is it" I said to him

The Man grabbed two items from his chest and handed them to me. They were two fragmentation grenades. "You're going to need these more than me" he responded looking me in the eye "Thank you Sir"

I took the Grenades from his hand and clipped them to my belt "Thank you," I said to him "Now get back to your squad, you piece of shit" I said with a wide grin plastered on my face

He smiled "Goddamn Americans" he said as he turned and ran back inside. Leaving me on the side of the road

_Well here I go off to find a group of people, in a city full of the walking dead with no idea where they are. This should be fun _I thought to myself as I began walking toward the nearest bridge.

Getting across the bridge was going to be a little more challenging than I had expected. People were flocking to the bridges to try to get out of the city. To say it was mayhem would be doing the word a disservice, as people and law enforcement clashed together in what I could assume would only result in violence. And I wanted no part of it. Also I wanted to keep off the radar as much as possible giving the fact that I had weapons and ammo the last thing I wanted to do was to attract attention to myself. So I waited until I had clear view of the bridge and scoped it out from atop of a small building about 1 mile from the bridge. What I saw only reinforced my earlier belief as I saw multiple squad cars and police stationed behind what looked to be a make shift blockade of traffic cones and Sawhorses. Behind the squad cars the fire department and EMT services had set up tents in which looked like in order to get past the blockade civilians would have to go through a thorough check. Traffic was backed up what looked to be at least 3 miles in every direction and a large group of people had assembled in front of the police blockade. _"shit" _ I muttered under my breath as I took my eyes off of the bridge and focused it on the city behind it. I knew I had to get across but going there on foot seemed to be out of the question. I looked around for a little while studying the area seeing if there was any way across. The river below it looked to be maybe 100 yards across, usually an easy swim, but my body was severely depleted of energy from the battle that took place last night, and the fact that I hadn't had any real food or sleep for over a day and a half now would definitely play its part. Then I factored in the weight of my equipment and I soon began to know that if I had to swim it was going to be tough. Not only that I wasn't completely sure of the currents either which would add another unseen X-factor. Given all the variables I came to the conclusion that it was either swim or walk across the bridge. _FUCK this shit_ I said as I realized what I would have to do. _I HATE swimming, Saeko you better not be dead or I'm going to be pissed _ I said to myself as I retrieved the picture of her that I kept in my wallet and studied it for a few seconds, desperately trying to regain my strength. i sighed as I climbed down into the empty streets and double backed upriver to try to get away from the majority of people that surrounded the bridge. I would have to start upriver for a couple of reasons, one was to not be seen, and two because I knew that as soon as I started swimming the river would carry me down river and I didn't want to be too far from the bridge when I got to the other side.

I walked to the edge of the riverbank and looked toward the other side. The current seemed to be moving at a moderate yet steady pace downstream that would lead into the ocean. It was about mid-day now and the sun was hot and felt good against my face. I looked around myself looking for either people or them, I didn't want to be spotted for fear someone would give away my position, if that happened I was worried that the authorities would be scrambled to intercept me and that would really screw up my day. When I was certain that no one else was around I checked my straps and my gear to make sure it was all in place and tied down, then I ease myself into the water. _Holy shit balls its cold_ I said to myself as I fully submerged my body while still holding on to the edge of the river bank. I tightened my muscles and flexed my entire body trying to get warmth into my core then pushed off into the river. I used a Breast stroke in order to propel myself through the water since it was the easiest way to swim with my gear, as well as the quietest. My muscles ached almost immediately protesting the with each and every movement. They still hadn't had enough time to recover from last night and I was worried that I would be damaging them even further by swimming. But what other choice did I have? At all costs I had to meet up with the others even if it meant taking the risk of injury. I laughed at the thought _as if I'm not already injured_.

When I had finally reached the other side I felt as though my body weighed a ton. It was hard to move and I spawled out on the bank of the river out of breath. I gave myself thirty seconds before I lifting myself to my feet and trudged on. I had to get out of sight and fast. I ran up the steep incline of the riverbank and disappeared into an alley way adjacent the river where I took a knee and checked my gear once more and then grabbing my rifle and shouldering it. _Let's go_ I told myself as I ducked low and made my way into the city.

What I saw took me by surprise. I had heard of ghost towns before, but to actually see something like this in person dropped my jaw in awe. It was completely lifeless, no birds, no dogs, cat, no people, in fact I didn't even spot any of the infected around. _What the hell is going on_ I said to myself as I keep moving inward being sure to stay in the shadows as much as possible. I moved from building to build keeping my eyes and ears open scanning to see if I could pick up any out noise or movement. All I came up with was the wind and the sight of vacant streets and buildings. _There has to be something here_ I said to myself as I took cover just inside a storefront that sold what looked to be vintage clothing. I ducked in behind the counter that made and L shape which over looked the small store; I was able to see out the front of the store out into the street because the store had large windows in the front next to the door. I aimed my rifle out toward the street and scanned.

I low moan could be heard behind me and it was close, I quickly unsheathed my knife and turned, the infected as about two feet from me and looked to be stumbling out from behind a clothing rack. I shifted the handle so the blade was pointing down and executed a downward stab into the top of its head silencing the monster and dropping it to the floor. _Well at least it's something_.

That's when I heard it, at first it was just a small hum but soon the sound became more noticeable as I was able to make up the _thump, thump, thump_ of rotary blades chopping at the air. The sound of a Helicoptor could be heard in the distance and it was moving closer to my position. I quickly but silently moved from my cover in the store and made my way outside so that I could get a look at where the chopper might be heading, I was excited when I saw that it was heading my way, but I was ecstatic when I saw it was a military Blackhawk Helicopter. I was about to jump into the middle of the street when my eye caught a glimpse of something I never thought I'd see in Japan, something that made my blood boil and my stomach do a summersault. _It can't be, no way, why the hell they would be here_. But things got really interesting when the Helicopter stopped directly over me and ropes spilled over the sides.

As soon as I saw the ropes I darted back inside, drew one of my tomahawks and bolted for the back door which led up some stairs and into a loft that sat over the clothing store. I quickly searched all the rooms before resting up against a window that was covered by blinds, that over looked the street, just in time to watch as the last of the men were dropping out of the Helicopter, and began taking up defensive position. Then I saw the last man drop down, he was obviously either the CO or someone of much importance because his armor was different than the rest. I watched as he landed and studied him for a few moments. He was wearing a form fitting type a armor similar to mine but much more aggressive styling, but he was also wearing some kind of full face helmet that covered his entire face and left only his visor which was red in color giving him more of a mechanical than human look. I also took note that he was massive, I estimated about 6ft 7 inches and about 275 lbs, but I could tell that it was all muscle by the way his fatigues hung off his body. He carried no rifle, just a handgun in a shoulder rig and a Sword sheathed on his back _This could get interesting_ I said to myself as I studied the rest of the squad, They were all wearing full combat fatigues, body armor and had what looked to be G36c Rifles, high powered and reliable. Their fatigues were made up of a combination of grey, black and red, standard urban camouflage in a digital pattern. Their movements and formations were spectacular and none showed any signs of hesitant movements or nervousness, no doubt these were season veterans, Professionals. I took one last look at the chopper to make sure that what I saw was certain and it was, for painted on the tail rotor was a large red shield with a dragon in the middle and in its claws were swords. Without a doubt it was the Black Dragon Corporation Logo. It was the closes thing Authority Arms could have to an ultimate rival and enemy.

I watched from my elevated position, trying to figure out why they had any interest In Japan for they mostly had ties to the Middle East and parts of China and North Vietnam. Either way however I knew that whatever their reason was, it wasn't good "Fuck America, and its Allies" was their God damn creed for fuck sake.

I watched as the man which the face mask immediately begun barking orders, I watched intensely trying to get a bid on what kind of Commanding officer this man was, cause it didn't matter how good of a squad you have, if you have a shit CO then the squad will be about as effective as throwing rocks in a nuclear war. I quickly came to the conclusion that this was going to be a challenge, he was an excellent CO and I could tell by the way the men moved and how they responded that he had their faith and trust. Demoralizing this squad was going to be difficult.

I kept watching through the blinds of the window as I soon heard the loud rumbling of multiple vehicles in the distance. The CO begin yelling orders to make sure the surrounding area was clear and the rest of the squad began moving in what I guessed was to clear the shops and stores making sure the area was clear of them. _Shit _I muttered as I realized that 3 of the squad were heading directly into the building I was hiding in. I began to quickly look around trying to find a place that I could get out of sight. My heartbeat quickened when I began to hear boots coming up the stairs _shit shit shit_ I kept saying to myself as I scrambled around trying to find cover, when finally I found the attic trap door in one of the bedrooms to which I quickly threw open and climbed up as quietly as I could while closing it behind me just in time to hear the muffled voices of the three men below me searching the rooms. I was barely able to make out what they were saying as I quietly moved from the trap door backwards in the darkness of the attic trying to put as much space between myself and the door in case they decided they were going to come up for a look.

"Wait let's check the attic" one of the men replied

"For what, those things can't climb?" I heard another one say

"So what if there is someone up there"

"Nobody is here except us watch" the man finished his sentence and I raised my rifle toward the door readying myself for the inevitable. Ten rounds then poured into the roof inches from where I was and moved diagonally away from me, sunlight poked through the holes in the roof and I let out a very silent sigh. _Fuck that was close_ I said to myself "see if they were there either we would've heard something or they are dead either way I see no need in staying here any longer

"You fucking dumbass" I heard a third person say.

"Hey fuck you" the second man said in return. I heard the men walking out of the room as their conversation continued and got less audible as they walked out the tiny apartment. I heard their footsteps echo as they walked down the stairs. I let out and audible sigh as I began my way back towards the trap door. I opened it and climbed down but I got only a few steps down before I heard cracking noises coming from the hinges on the trap door. "Aw shit" I muttered under my breath as the door gave way and I came crashing to the ground, making enough noise to disturb the undertaker himself.

"What was that?" I heard a voice yell from below me, the voice was coming from the store directly under me.

"Fuck me" I said to myself as I quickly picked myself off the floor, the sounds of footsteps rushing back up the stairs.

"We got something commander" I heard one of the men say into his radio, there was a brief pause then "roger that, consider it handled"

The room I was in was next to the room where the stairs were, so I unsheathed my tomahawks and slug my rifle over my back and rested my body against the wall where the doorway was and waited.

First their steps were quick, until they reached the entry way into the apartment, then they regrouped and then began to move slowly but thoroughly. I figured they would be in a standard entry formation which meant that once they entered the room next to me they would be spread out in all corners which would make it difficult for me to take them out quickly. So I figured I'd ambush them once they reached the room I was in.

"clear" I heard one of them say in a whisper,

_Good, now come closer_ I said to myself as I waited for them to make entry on my position. My back was against the wall with the doorway on my left it had no door so they wouldn't have to knock anything down to get to me. I dropped to a knee and waited until I saw the barrel of the first man come thru the door, that's when I used the tomahawk in my right hand and swung directly at the man's knee impacting directly on the kneecap shattering the bone while severing the patella tendon in the process. The man let out a cry in pain as his knee cap buckled from the weight of his body and his torso flew forward exposing his head to which I then used the Hawk in my left hand and swung upward towards his jaw removing it as well as half his head from his body. His brain spilled from the cranial cavity and spilled onto the floor. The other men hesitated at the sight of their friend being decapitated as I quickly stood and threw the hawk in my right hand at the soldier who was furthest away from me in the rear, left hand corner of the room adjacent to me. the Hawk struck the man directly in the forehead instantly dropping him dead. The third man however had recovered and leveled his rifle toward me "You bastard" He yelled as he pulled the trigger. Round spits from his rifle and I spun around taking cover behind the other side of the doorway. It was futile as he emptied his magazine into the wall and the bullets easily passed through the dry wall. I rolled forward and to my right which put my directly in front of the doorway with a clear view of the third soldier who I had caught in the middle of reloading. I smiled as I drew my handgun "too slow" I said as I pulled the trigger. The bullet caught the man in the throat as he fell backwards with his hands grabbing his neck. Gurgling sounds could be heard as he struggle to breathe through the hole in his trachea. I quickly retrieved my hawk and sheathed them then pulled my rifle around to my chest and made my way over to the third soldier who was lying to the right of the window that overlooked the street. He was still holding his throat desperately trying to gasp for air. I walked up to the man and looked at him. He looked to be about early 30's and of Scandinavian descent. He was pushing his hand toward me trying to grab onto me "sorry pal," I said as I brought my boot brought my boot directly onto his skull ending his struggle for survival.

I then peered out of the window and down onto the street only to see that not only was there the rest of the squad of Black Dragons now pointing their rifles at my position, but there were multiple other men all dressed in what looked to be combat fatigues, but there was something odd about then, there was no uniformity about the way they looked or moved, none of the new individuals matched and they had what looked to be Ak47 and an assortment of small arms like shotguns and handguns. I came to the conclusion that they were either Marauders or Gang Members either way I could tell that they were dangerous and up to no good. Anyone who met with the Black Dragons always is.

"Hmm this should be interesting" I said under my breath as I surveyed the situation, I was grossly outnumbered, but I figured the only ones I had to really worry about was the squad of Black dragons, but I couldn't overlook the other Members that were now present, because any idiot with a gun could get lucky.

"Team echo, what is your sit-rep?" a voice cracked over the radio of the dead man at my side. It was a powerful voice, of experience and brutality. I looked back out onto the street and searched for the CO that I had seen earlier, I found him in the middle of the street standing next to one of the Marauders who I could no safely assume was their groups leader, the other man wore jungle camouflage pants a black shirt and a red bandanna tied around his head. He held an Ak47 in his hands. "Team echo, come in!" the man boomed over the radio again

"Fuck this" I said as I raised my rifle and trained it on the CO. Rule number one target officers first. My rifle was almost to my face when I saw the CO point toward me, this caught me off guard _he can't see me through these blinds, can he?_ I hesitated and immediately cursed myself because I did, because as soon as I did I watched as one of the Black dragons aimed a RPG directly at me and pulled the trigger. "SHIT!" I yelled as I jumped back from the window and landed face first on the floor in the doorway where the stairs led down below. The RPG then ripped through the window and detonated sending shrapnel, and debris through the air. I felt a burning sensation on my left arm where several pieces of metal had found its mark, blood trickled from the wound. My Ears were ringing and my vision was blurred for a few moments as I realized from the pain that somehow I was still alive, because dead people apparently don't feel too much, well so I'm told at least.

I shook my head in a futile attempt to clear my vision and struggled to look at my surroundings. When my vision finally cleared I noticed that where the window once was, was now a very large jagged hole. The room was a complete disaster and I could taste copper. _Fuck me_ I thought to myself as I picked my body off the floor and gave myself a once over. I was surprised to find that I only had minor shrapnel wounds and a very large headache. _Ok these guys wanna play hardball_ I thought as I checked my weapons, and made my way down the stairs as quietly as possible, the people I was dealing with were for the most part professionals and I knew I had a limited amount of time before I would be confronted with an entry team. And I didn't wait long. As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs I heard the footsteps of the incoming men. I knew that as soon as I showed myself I would have to deal with at least 4 guys with guns and a lot of training, plus I could probably count on Rocket Boy itching to fire one of his explosive toys at me. So I took a deep breath leaned up against the wall, and then took a knee leaned around the corner of the doorway and fired.

I was dead on the money, 4 guys staggered formation moving low. The First of the rounds hit the point man center chest, tore through the body armor and exited his back. His body jerked awkwardly as his legs lost strength and he fell to the floor dead. I then focused my attention on the man directly behind him and fired a three round bust into his upper torso and lower jaw, the last round removing the said part of his skull from his body and he too dropped dead into his own gore. The Next two men were standing roughly 3 feet apart with one in front of the other; I was able to shift my point of aim to the one standing in front and fired three more shots center mass expiring his life on the spot. The other however had just enough time to jump from my line of fire and hide behind the wall just before he entered the store. I used this time to seek out the man I was really worried about and that was the guy who had tried to blow me up. I found him just as he finished reloading his RPG with a fresh rocket and bringing the weapon up to his face. _Too slow _I said as I brought my rifle up and pulled the trigger. _Click….._ Nothing, "Shit" I said as I realized that I pulled the trigger and the rifle never went boom, and the guy holding the explody thingy in my direction was still standing. I wasted no time however as I immediately drew my 1911 brought the sights up to my eye, lined the sight posts, and squeezed the trigger just as the man began to apply pressure to the firing mechanism on the RPG. The weapon jerked in my hand as the bullet exited the barrel and exploded through the atmosphere and headed straight for the Man. Luckily for me bullets traveled a lot faster than the Rocket because I was able to watch as the round impacted the warhead placed directly on the tip of the Rocket just as the propellant was igniting, but before the rocket left the tube. The result was a premature detonation that literally blew the man to pieces and scattered shrapnel through the air. The man that was part of the entry team now hiding behind the wall must have panicked because for no good reason he turned and ran trying to make a beeline back to where the remnants of his squad were, taking cover behind a couple vehicles that were parked on the street, all he succeeded in doing was allowing me a clear line of sight and the one of the easiest double taps I have ever done in my life, the poor fucker wasn't even zig-zagging so when he fell it was like it was out of the movies, running full speed then falling flat on his face as the bullets from my handgun stole his life away. I laughed a little that was until I saw the Black Dragons CO staring directly at me. He was standing in the middle of the street and wasn't even making an attempt at getting cover. I switched targets and fired fully confident that I would be taking down the ring leader.

To my dismay I watched as the CO loaded his feet and pushed off to the side the bullets missing him completely. His movements were fast, very fast and that's when I realized that this fight was about the get interesting. I trained my gun on him again and fired two more shots I wanted to confirm what I thought was true, this time the Man simply jumps backward into a back handstand allowing the bullets to pass beneath him harmlessly and he landed back on his feet in a low three point stance. _Shit, he's one of them_ I thought as I finally realized that this man was one of Part of the Black Dragon Special Execution Team. Top of the line soldiers, on par with AA Specture unit, the unit I commanded. This made me change my tactics, for I realized that if he was one of the Execution team, then something big was going on beneath this Meeting that I had stumbled upon and whatever it was I had to do whatever I could to slow it down. The CO un-holstered his weapon and began firing on my position, his shots were precise and quick as they impacted directly where my head would've been had I not ducked back behind the wall. I reloaded my handgun and slipped it back into my holster, pulled my rifle around and inspected it, pulling back on the charging hammer ejecting the round that didn't go off. I plucked the round out of midair and looked it over to find that the primer had been struck on the back of the bullet yet it didn't go off. I tossed the bullet aside and reloaded a fresh magazine into the rifle and chambered another round. All the while I was doing this I noticed that the incoming fire had greatly increased as bits of debris and bullets began whizzing by at an alarming rate, my guess was that instead of trying the gain a tactical advantage by repositioning themselves, they were just going to pepper my location with fire until I had nowhere to go. I grabbed the grenades still on my belt and pulled the pins on both of them. "I hope this works" I said to myself sarcastically as I threw the one in my left hand into the store just far enough for it to detonate about half the distance to the outside. The concussion reverberated through my chest and I peeked into the store to see if it had done what I wanted it to, which it did. Dust and debris no clogged the line of sight and I couldn't see out of the store because of the dust, although bullets still tore through the air toward me. I used this brief amount of cover to quickly emerge from my cover behind the wall and heaved the grenade as hard as I could through the smoke then wasted no time in high tailing it up back up the stairs into the room where the RPG had almost blown me to kingdom come. I heard sounds of voices yelling for everyone to take cover as the grenade exploded just as I had reach the top of the stairs. I smiled to myself as the rush of adrenaline took over my body and that oh so familiar sensation filled my chest with anticipation. I exploded across the room heading directly where the window used to be and jumped through the hole headfirst and spread my arms wide. I looked around as I sailed through the air, trying to get a location on any possible hostiles. I noticed the Black dragon forces were obviously organized and still taking cover behind vehicles located on the sides of the street furthest from the store. Their CO was nowhere to been found. The Marauders were panicked and in complete disarray screaming and struggling to find cover and some just ran in circles. Both parties were focused on the grenade and didn't realize that I had jumped out of the building as I flew end over end and landed in the middle of the street in a three point stance. I immediately brought my rifle bear and opened fire on the Black Dragons dropping a two of them and causing the remaining to scramble to new cover, I then shifted my aim toward the marauders who were still in chaos and emptied the magazine into 4 of them before my weapon ran dry. This maneuver put my directly in the middle of the street and in between too different squads each with a large amount of weaponry and all with the intent on using it against me. Black dragons and their CO on my left, with the Marauders on my right, now usually I'd focus my attention on the black dragons, but the Marauders had been kind enough to bring with them 2 pickup trucks which I wanted so I could get the hell out of there. I figured I had caused enough damage to at least slow them down so now I wanted to leave.

I wasted no time in switching to my handguns and bolted in the direction of the Marauders firing as I went. Some of them had regained their composures and began to fire back at me from the cover of the trucks which were parked in a v formation in the middle of the street. I picked the targets on the right and silenced them as I darted behind the truck and took cover. I now had enemies behind me and my left my only cover was the truck I was now behind. Soon I felt the bullets impact around me from the Black Dragon forces. I was able to steal a look behind me only to see a line of Black Dragons firing in my direction with the CO standing tall behind them eyeing my position. _The hell is he doing_ I asked myself as I loaded another magazine and fired on the remaining Marauders sending them scrambling back into the truck, I laughed a little as I watched them flee in horror burning rubber the entire way.

Then the firing stopped. I swung my head around the edge of the engine my 1911 pointing downrange toward the Black Dragons, they still had their weapons leveled toward me but none of them fired _that's odd_ I thought _why'd they stop shooting_. I also took note that they were now laying prone position on the sides of the street, I counted a total of 6 men plus the CO who was standing in the middle of the street.

That's when I heard the CO blare over to me. "It seems you are in quite a predicament" his voice was raspy, like he smoked a pack a day for ten years, but it also had a hint of youth to it with a tinged of sarcasm.

I retreated behind the engine once again "Actually given the body count I think I'm doing ok" I yelled back

"What's your name?" the CO asked

"You really want to get civil right now?" I asked this time returning the sarcastic tone

"Not civility, I just want to know the name of the man that has decimated my squad"

I paused a moment _was this guy for real_ I thought before replying "That's not your squad… Executioner" I replied putting emphasis on the Executioner.

A moment ticked by before the man responded "How do you know I'm and Executioner?" he boomed back

"Don't act fucking dumb Dragon, there are only a few people in this world that could've dodged my shots, and I command some of them."

Once again seconds tick by and silence fills the Air before finally I hear the man break out in laughter "Ah a member of Authority Arms might I ask, I wonder what a second rate mercenary force like that would want in a country like this? What happened ran out of innocents to kill"

I almost literally felt my blood boil as I struggled to keep my composure "keep talking dickwad, we both know what the score is and as far as I know you're a couple world wars behind us you fascist fucks"

"You are not a very polite man?" the co responded

"Politeness is overrated, now I'm getting bored are we going to do this or do I have to listen to your fucked up for very much longer."

"You do not know who you are speaking to do you; I have Victor Romanoff second in command of the Black Dragon Execution Force"

"I don't give a fuck if you're God himself asshole" I replied annoyance in my voice.

"Hmm very well I guess I'll just have to kill yo-"

I got tired of his shit, and while I wanted so badly to kill this man, I knew that at the current state my body was in I wouldn't last very long. Even though I had played off the fast that his name didn't catch me by surprise, I knew of him all too well. He was what was called and enforcer, his specialty was close quarters combat same as my specialty and it was documented that he knew the same technique I did about how to un-limit his brain and body. If I was full strength I would jump at the opportunity, but given the situation that I was in, banged up to hell and low on sleep and food I was afraid I'd be breaking my promise to Saeko about only letting her kill me. So I figured I could swallow my pride this one time. Therefore while he was spewing his nonsense I lifted my 1911 and popped off one round, the Man named Victor quickly saw what was happening and ducked down and rolled to his right once again evading my bullet. It was however exactly what I wanted him to do as I pulled my other handgun and began firing very rapidly shifting my aim from Victor to the men lying prone in the street. Round after round tore through the air, as they began to return fire. When my pistols went dry I holstered them, ducked back behind the truck and made my way to the cab where I found the door to be unlocked but to my dismay no keys in the ignition _fuck _I said to myself as I realized I would have to hotwire the vehicle. Bullets crashed into the truck, puncturing holes in all sides, I just hoped that the engine was still able to run with all the abuse it was taking. I then worked my way into the cab and found the necessary ignition wire to which I struggled with for a few seconds before as I manipulated the wires to make the necessary connections. The engine roared to life and I breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly the truck was rocked. I looked up from the floorboard to see Victor above me, a European style sword held in a two handed fashion with the business end pointing down directly above my abdomen. My adrenaline spiked as I instantly moved my body to the side just as he thrust his blade downward which pierced the seat cushion where I was a moment ago. I quickly delivered a thrust kick to his chest pushing him backwards about 5 feet and I scrambled to my feet and drew my sword. "I'm impressed" he said "I don't know very many people who could dodge that strike at that range"

"Well maybe I'm just lucky" I responded. I noticed that the firing had stopped and once again silence filled the streets.

"I don't think so Ghost, now that I see how you hold that sword I know exactly who you are" he said with a grin "Just think of what they will call me when I bring back the head of Major Gabriel Kael, the Crimson Ghost, Leader of Authority Arms Spectre Squad."

I didn't say anything but I felt a very large smile spread across my face. "I'm not sure" I replied "but about how tall are you?

The question caused Victor to hesitate "Why do you want to know my height?" a look of puzzlement was shown.

"So I know what size coffin to put you in" I said

This caused Victor to laugh once again as he lunged at me. It was a simple downward strike but it carried a tremendous amount of speed. I shifted my Katana around so the blunt edge would take the energy from the strike and intercepted the blow directly above my head. After stopping the momentum I shifted the blade edge toward victor and slid the blade down his sword and aimed my strike for the middle of the cranium. Victor dislodged his sword from the parry and sidestepped causing my blade to miss completely and placing Victor to my left which he countered with a waist high slashing strike. I pushed off my feet and executed a side wards flip evading the blade. When I landed I planted my right foot and pushed off the ground propelling myself toward Victor and pushed my blade forward attempting to pierce his chest. He again sidestepped and evaded my attack.

The traded blows and parrys, I found myself unable to gain an advantage but draining my energy at an alarming rate. I knew if the fight lasted much longer eventually id be cut down. Victor showed no signs of slowing down. "You're getting sloppy," as suddenly my head was thrown backwards. He had thrown a left jab with his free hand which caught me directly in the jaw. I felt my brain rattle and my vision blurred _damn if I was healthy a blow like that wouldn't do anything, the last couple days must have taken more out of me than I thought_ I had to end this and end it now.

"I'm just getting warmed up," I said as I began to let my mind take over, readying myself to use the LIMITER technique once again _all I need in one blow to buy time_ I told myself. This was either going to work or I was going to die.

Victor lunged swinging his sword, I did my best to parry and dodge trying to allow my mind to fully open without giving it away what I was trying to do. This was proving more difficult than I had expected because I wasn't getting the same feedback as usual from my muscle sensors so I really had no idea if the technique was going to fully work or not. I felt my body slowing down considerably with every strike that Victor Threw "What's wrong Ghost, seems like you've lost your fighting spirit!" he said to me as he threw a high kick which I brought my arm up and blocked midair. I didn't say anything as I was too focused "Your about to die and there is nothing you can-"his voice trailed off as his eyes went wide suddenly realizing what I was trying to do _shit! _I screamed in my head _now or never_, I finished the thought brought both hand to the hilt of my Katana and drew my sword back, I felt a sudden rush as I exploded forward while simultaneously slashing with my katana from my shoulder diagonally moving downward. Victor was barely able to bring his sword up in time and used both his hands to try to intercept the blow. When our swords met the force created a small shockwave, but I had timed it right and I had the momentum and I pushed forward will all my might, my muscles burning, resulting in him being thrown back through the air end over end. I didn't even see him land as I bolted back to the truck threw it in park and began to speed past him. He however had landed on his feet and was about to advance on the truck when I pulled out my handgun chambered a new magazine and fired, causing him to instead retreat and evade. _Holy hell that was close_ I said to myself as I watched him disappear in my rearview mirror.

**Author POV**

Victor was fuming, not just at the fact that he had let Ghost get away, but because he had been bested by such a simple trick. He sheathed his sword on his back and continued looking in the direction that Ghost had sped off

"Sir you are requested back at HQ" a man said behind him. It was one of the men that were part of the now extremely vacant squad.

Victor nodded before turning and began walking back to the rest of the squad _you got lucky this time Ghost, next time however I will have your head_

_**phew! that took some time to write but i hope you guys enjoyed it! dont forget to review! hopefully i will have a new chapter up every two to three weeks. Well till next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author POV **_

Gabriel didn't make it very far as the truck had more damage to the engine than he had hoped for. He drove for about 10 blocks just enough to put some distance between him and the Black Dragon Forces. It was then that the truck had finally broke down by overheating the engine and Gabriel found himself once again walking. His body ached all over and his limbs felt heavy. He worried that there might be permanent damage to some on the ligaments especially the ones in his elbows and arms. But he knew that now wasn't the time or the place to rest rest he had to find shelter. The landscape was now filled with the undead, and he found it difficult to avoid the hunting grounds of the infected. Killing what was needed but evading if he could, which was becoming increasingly more difficult as he moved deeper into the city. He kept as close to the edge of the street which was lined with tall buildings keeping his eyes constantly moving scanning the windows looking for any signs of movement. The last thing he needed was for someone to take a pop shot at him and fuck up his already fucked up day. He made a mental note to stay relaxed, a tense body can't move very fast and his aching joints wouldn't like the extra stress either so staying relaxed would serve a double purpose. He approached the corner of the street and what he saw was nothing short of horrific.

It was a fourway street corner that now resembled a warzone, complete with a little taste of hell. Several cars were ablaze and skewed at angles in the middle of the intersection. Bodies lay sprawled along the road, their blood, bone and organs taking residence on the asphalt. The ground was stained crimson and shell casings by the hundreds could also be seen glinting in the sun. It didn't take a genius to see that this was the scene of a vicious firefight that had taken place. Gabriel scanned the intersection and saw that directly across from him to his right was a sandbag bunker and behind it was a machine gun emplacement positioned so that it would be able to cover the entire intersection. That wasn't all he saw, bodies dressed in full combat fatigues resembling those of the Japanese Self-defense force littered the area. Gabriel could only imagine the kind of horde was responsible for this attack, to overrun a stationary gun manned by competent soldiers mean that it must've been a very large one. But something was missing. Gabriel saw there were only around 30 bodies or at least what was left of them, it would be hard to believe that an emplacement such as this was overrun by a pack that small. So if the gun was overrun the pack would've had to be much larger but where were the bodies? Gabriel finished the thought before immediately coming to a grim realization, that the pack must be somewhere but where and how close? Gabriel instantly raised his rifle and entered his alert mode. He then cautiously moved from his position on the street corner and began approaching the machine gun bunker with extreme caution. His arms were heavy and sore from the constant fighting but he kept them steady. If he needed to shoot anything he was going to need his aim to be steady as a rock. As he approached the bunker he was able to see more of the carnage that took place there. The stench of blood reached his nose, only to be drowned out but the smell of rotting corpses. The body of a young soldier sat propped up against the wall a hole in his head where a bullet had passed through ending his life. He was staring directly at Gabriel sending shivers down his spine, _creepy_ he thought to himself as he scanned the emplacement searching for anything that was supposed to be dead but wasn't. he found none and continued his search. He saw that the front doors were open into the building that the bunker was residing in and he decided that it would be best to try to find somewhere to rest. His body was broken, he was running on no sleep or food and needed shelter before he could continue or else he knew that if shit hit the fan he was in deep shit.

He then quickly scavenged the bodies for anything he found useful. He hated taking from the dead, especially soldiers but he also knew that scavenging can save your life. His search proved valuable as he found 2 fragmentation grenades and two mercury flares. He was disappointed however when he didn't find a satellite phone. No doubt HQ would be wondering what the hell was taking him so long to report in.

After he was finished he made his way into the office building. The lobby was of basic layout, front desk took up the center which was surrounded by luxurious furnishings that painted the room. There was a door labeled STAIRS to his immediate right and various couches and chairs took residence on the other side of the lobby. It was obviously an office building and from what Gabriel could tell a very luxurious one at that. He couldn't help but be in awe of the lavish fixtures and furniture and he actually caught himself wondering what it would be like to work in a building like this. Then he came to his senses and realized he was thinking crazy and went back to being a soldier. Almost immediately he noticed something strange, all the bodies were outside. From what he could tell there were no traces of infected inside the building, no blood splatter, no errant limbs scattered around, and defiantly no odor of rotting flesh. _Intesting _ he thought as he kept his weapon at the ready, _if such a large conflict happened just outside of this place then why are there no bodies inside, what would keep them out of this building?_

Gabriel felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as he came to the realization that there must be some of the Dead nearby, or at least something or someone who had taken out the dead. His eyes trained down the barrel of his rifle he felt the sweat roll down his head. Then he moved quick and low to the opposite side of the lobby and scanned the room with his rifle. The opening to the corridor was illuminated by a series of large chandeliers. He paused at the opening before starting down the corridor staying to the right side of the wall hugging the wall. He got about 50 feet down the corridor before he finally came to a 90 degree bend that made a right and led straight out into the street. Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that he was alone. _Thank god maybe I can get some rest now_ he thought to himself as he made his way back to the lobby.

Gabriel cautiously climbed the stairs that were in the lobby and made his way to the roof. There he did his best to survey the surrounding area which wasn't very hard given the fact that not only was he on top of the tallest of the surrounding buildings but that also the area he was in was mostly a residential district with small surrounding shops. He did however notice two things one the first being that there was a very large house on top of a hill to the northeast of him and about 5-7 miles away, and the second being that he still had his little kid tendencies because about two streets over to his left was a gas station, but that gas station seemed to have a very large propane filling station directly behind it. Gabriel guessed it had to carry at least 200 gallons or more of propane, and he realized he had the urge to blow the tank sky high. He huffed in frustration as he realized quickly that it would be a bad idea bringing a lot of unneeded attention to the area. But still he couldn't lie to himself he really, really wanted to do it.

Gabriel gazed into the setting sun that was slowly drifting behind the ocean. The light given off turned the landscape and orange tint and the shadows grew. The dead's moans filled the calm air and Gabriel found it hard to stay focused as he eyes suddenly became very heavy. He needed sleep, his body needed to repair itself from the constant fighting. His whole body ached from head to toe and he was finding pains in places he didn't even know he had. His stomach growled in protest, he needed food as well but he had given out the last of his MRE's the night before and all that was left was a little bit of water, and some jack Daniels. He quickly pulled out the water and downed it, when the liquid hit his stomach it felt as if he was swallowing stones. _Fuck im hungry _he thought to himself. Realizing that risking going out into the open to look for food in the dark would be foolish, he decided that getting some sleep would be the best option. He took off his rucksack and propped it against the concrete ledgering on the building's roof. Then he checked the metal door that led down the stairway to make sure it was closed and that it couldn't be opened by the dead without making some serious noise. When he was satisfied he laid his rifle and his sword next to each other beside him, checked his pistols to make sure they had full magazines and were cocked and locked, he then laid down using the rucksack for a makeshift pillow closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

_**Next Morning**_

Gabriel woke late in the morning sleeping without a stir for the entire night. He guessed it was around 11:00 in the morning and it was still warm given that summer was just around the corner. He sat upright and instinctively flexed his muscles and was rewarded with good news, the Pain In his body he shifted from extremely painful, to a slightly extremely painful Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, the type of soreness that occurs after a hard workout, which meant that his body was repairing itself and that there was a good chance that none of the major ligaments or tendons had any lasting or permanent damage. He was however still in a good deal of pain and he was still currently very hungry. He rubbed his neck before finding his feet and rising up stretching his arms over his head. His muscles were stiff and he moved around to unlock his joints and get blood flowing into his limbs. The sky was a bright blue overhead and the sun was bright, a light breeze was blowing offering some escape from the burning sun. "fuck me" he said as he gritted his teeth from the discomfort as he rose to his feet and looked out over the rooftops before picking up his gear and suiting up. After he was finished he walked to the edge of the roof and surveyed his surroundings. He flipped the optic on his rifle to the 3x magnification peered thru the scope only to be rewarded with the same landscape as before, complete stillness except for the roaming of the dead. Gabriel sighed, and lowered his weapon only to be stopped halfway by the sound of gunfire. The report was barely audible and echoed throughout the city, reverberating off the walls of the buildings as the sound waves ripped through the air. Gabriel used the time between shots as a gauge to how far the gunfire was coming from as well as the general direction which was coming from his left. He could tell by the amount of gunfire and the different tones and pitch from the report that multiple weapons were being used, which meant multiple people or a group. Gabriel hoped the it wasn't the black dragons as he was still in a fragile condition, but what he saw not only took the wind out of him but also made him forget all his pains and suddenly he felt his throat tighten and his heartbeat quicken. Purple, he saw Purple hair

_**Gabriel POV**_

"FUCK!" I yelled as I immediately grabbed my gear and bolted out door and down the stairs. Adrenaline pumping I could barely feel my legs as I booked it down the stairs as fast as I could. I slung my rifle onto my back and consciously told myself to keep my arms pumping. _It has to be her!_ I thought to myself as I neared the bottom of the stairs. I wasted no time as I kicked the crash bar on the door in front of me. The door flung open with destructive force as it was almost broke off the hinges. _Shit that probably got someone's attention_ I told myself as I broke through the door of the building and ventured outside. I paid absolutely no attention to the undead as I ran at full speed through the lifeless streets, the vacant shops and parked cars becoming a blur, as my legs propelled me as fast as I could go toward the direction that I had seen Saeko. My chest was filled with anticipation, questions of her safety were swirling around my head, but mostly I knew she was in trouble. That the entire group was in trouble and they needed my help.

The gunfire was progressively getting louder as the reports became quicker, the product of an increase in the infected ranks. I found myself wondering how many of themwere attacking. I turned left onto a street that looked to lead directly toward the gunfire. It was a large street 4 lanes wide with tall buildings on both sides creating sort of a tunnel effect blocking out the sunlight casting a shadow on the road. At the end was a dead end with a short fence that acted as a barrier to the street the laid below it. I kept running at top speed toward the fence. I had no idea what laid beyond it but I did know that the sound of battle was coming from whatever laid on the other side and that was all the incentive I needed. I un-holstered my handguns mid stride as I neared the fence which was about 3 feet tall and was constructed on three steel bars laid horizontally, fixed on vertical posts driven into the concrete which looked to be at 5 foot increments. Legs pumping, lungs burning, determination high I hit the fence in stride leaping onto the top railing, my right leg taking the shock of the maneuver, I then loaded my leg muscles by bending at the knee and pushing off with all my might vaulting into the air bringing the carnage that lay before me into view.

_**Author POV Hirano Location inside Humvee Atop Gun Port**_

_shit this is bad, this is very fucking bad! _Hirano thought as he reloaded his AR-10 and began firing into the incoming horde. More disfigured bodies filling the street by the second. The group consisting of, Takashi, Rei, Saya, Saeko, Miss Shizuka, a little girl they had rescued a few hours ago named Alice, a dog Zeke and himself had been traveling toward Saya's house in a newly acquired Humvee that they had taken from Miss Shizuka's Friends home the night before, when suddenly hundreds of the dead had appeared and forced them to take a turn onto a road that had 20 foot walls constructed on both sides creating somewhat of a trench in which they were located in. not only that but a wire fence 15 feet high of some sort had been strung from one side of the street to the other effectively boxing them in leaving them in a text book FUBAR situation. They were trapped and with little ammo. And to add to the quickly deteriorating situation, Rei had been flung from the roof of the Humvee landing squarely on her back. The good news was that she was at least conscious bad news was that she wasn't moving very fast.

Hirano paused only to reload another magazine and assess the situation. He was stationed on top of the Humvee providing as much cover fire as he could, Takashi had grabbed a shotgun that they had confiscated and was now standing by Rei pumping shells into the horde, meanwhile Saeko was pummeling the heads with her practice sword taking down multiple zombies down at a time. She was advancing through the horde attacking it head on. Alice, Shizuka and Zeke were taking refuge within the Humvee. Hirano went back to doing what he did best, the last few hours had proven to him what he was good at, that being killing zombies with precision fire from his rifle. However his efforts were in vain and he knew it. Sooner or later he was going to run out of ammo, and no matter how good of a swordsman Saeko was, she was still human and would eventually tire out, and Takashi although he could hold his own in a melee, his inexperience with firearms was showing as even with a shotgun his marksmanship abilities were only just above nil. What they needed was a fire-team of Marines with a full suppression load out, and maybe even a "danger-close" airstrike.

His weapon clicked empty, as he felt the recoil against his shoulder. The Smell of rotten flesh and gunpowder reaching his nose, his ears ringing from the blasts of the rifle, he felt his pockets looking for another magazine, to his horror finding none. "I need a mag" he yelled into the Humvee, not fully confident that Alice or Shizuka knew what he was talking about.

"Here you go Khota-Chan" Alice said meekly "is it one of these?" she asked tears streaming down her face, a look of defeat glazed over her eyes.

Hirano couldn't help but force a smile as he cursed himself for not being able to protect this little girl with whom he was already beginning to feel an attachment too. "Yes thank you" he said as he took the Magazine and pat her head "You're helping so much" he smiled at her.

Alice eyes lit up, it wasn't much, but it was enough "I'll see if I can find more" she said as she disappeared into the Humvee

_Goddamnit, please help us, anyone_ Hirano Begged as he slammed the magazine home and released the bolt _anyone_. As soon as he finished the thought his eyes caught onto something, something abnormal, he took his eyes away from the scope on his rifle so he could get a better look at it. What he saw astounded him and suddenly his chest filled with excitement for what he saw was a man, and not just any man, the same man who had performed almost the exact same jump just a couple days before and although the man was at a distance, Hirano just knew exactly who it was, Gabriel had found them.

_**Gabriel POV**_

I felt my body move without me telling it to, everything based on instinct and reaction. My right foot planted on the top of the handrail, I felt my knees bend, blood coursing through my veins loading the muscle fibers then exploding through the balls of my feet throwing me into a 45 degree vault into the air. I straightened my body and extend my arms as I took a look at the hell I just threw myself into. The dead were congregating by the hundreds it seemed. To my left I saw Takashi who was behind a rifle lying in the prone position, using Rei's body as a rest who was flat on her back. She looked to be in a great deal of pain. I also noticed that the only thing Takashi was hitting with that rifle was hopes and dreams and clean air as none of the dead fell after he would break a shot. To the right of them a Humvee was parked, Hirano was standing tall in the gun port on top and was picking off Zombies with extreme precision, but no matter how many he put down another would just take his place. My gaze quickly swept the area looking for Saeko, I allowed a tenth of a seconds worth of panic before my eyes caught her. She was located directly in front of me, I did a quick calculation of my trajectory and found that when I landed it would be about 2 feet in front of her; I just hoped she would see me in time before I landed so that I wouldn't have the pleasure of being hit with her practice sword. I could tell that she was in trouble and soon to be surrounded, while she was deadly efficient with that sword, a wooden one had its limitations and it was showing.

I tucked and let my feet take me end over end, for as soon as I landed I knew shit was going to hit the fan. I gripped my pistols tightly as I emerged from my midair roll noticing a zombie wandered into my LZ. My right foot would hit first on the zombies upper chest, followed by my left a little lower but directly on the sternum. My momentum carried me downward as the Dead's body slammed into the pavement braking the sternum and chest plate instantly. I wasted no time as I brought both handguns to bear and aimed one gun at each of the eyes, and fired. The result was two exit wounds that blew out the back of the skull blowing brain matter and bone across the tarmac. I found myself in a crouched position and turned 180 degrees to try to get a bead on Saeko Position which I knew was close. Once I turned I saw her standing directly behind me practice sword raised eyes wide, blood covered her clothes and a look of horror crept onto her face.

"Gabriel?" her voice full of confusion and concern. I saw her body tense up at the sight of my face but then slowly fade back into normal as I flashed her grin. I was about to speak when I saw the lingering silhouette appear behind her

"Duck" I said calmly, a heartbeat went by before she finally registered what I had said and she immediately dropped to a knee revealing the abomination that crept up behind her blind spot. I centered my sights and pulled the trigger effectively dropping the beast. I rose from the crouching position slid over next to saeko and began firing into the crowd of zombies. Saeko wasted no time in dropping onto my flank and unleashing hell onto any walking corpse that was within her range.

"Duck!" I heard Saeko yell from my right. I dropped down and spun to my right. Saeko executed a horizontal strike that slammed into the forehead of a zombie that I hadn't seen that had gotten a little too close to me. Her wooden sword passing over my head by no more than an inch. Our bodies moved in tandem, we didn't have to guess, we didn't have to speak we just moved. The countless hours of training together coming to a whole in that moment of chaos with every movement, every strike, and every round fired the dead dropped in droves. I felt my chest tighten and adrenaline flow through my veins.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she yelled as she brought her sword down on the head of an infected.

"Good to see you too Saeko" I yelled back as I delivered a plant kick to the chest of and infected then followed with a shot to the head. "Looks like you can use a hand" I replied with a smile.

"Now you wanna help?" she said her voice full of animosity

"See that's what I've always loved about you, you're so cute when you're mad" I said teasing

Saeko glared at me with eyes that would burn through titanium. I could tell by the way she tensed up that she really wanted to bring that practice sword down on my head, but instead she just went back to bashing the already dead's head into mush.

We continued combat maneuvers attempting to put space between ourselves and the advancing horde. Our fight had led us to be pushed back to the Humvee where the others were fighting. I could tell almost immediately that we were going to be overrun if we didn't do something soon.

"Gabriel glad to see you can join us!" Takashi yelled in between shots. He was still lying prone over Reis broken body.

"Reloading!" I yelled as I threw away the magazines and inserted fresh mags my handguns. I released the slides and began firing. However with every dead I dropped fresh ones took their place. And Saeko took notice.

"damnit these things don't stop coming do they!" she yelled

"Fuck, we have to do something quick I'm running low on ammunition." I responded in between shots. "How you doing up there Hirano?" I yelled back after firing another well placed 45 caliber slug into an infected eye socket.

"Only got two mags left and the shotgun is dry." His voice void of confidence "we need to do something quick, if you got a plan now would be the time to do it.

"I'm thinking!" I yelled as I switched to my tomahawks to conserve ammo then realized that my sword would be more useful if it was actually taking part in the battle. "Saeko!" I yelled as I dismembered the head of two infected with one horizontal strike, splitting the neck revealing a split trachea. I looked at saeko who glanced in my direction, our eyes met and I found myself suddenly being taken aback at her beauty. Even in battle it was enough to rattle my nerves.

"What do you want?" she said obviously still angry at me for my earlier comment.

"I think you need an equipment upgrade!" I said as I pulled the sword from its sheath and tossed it toward her. Her eyes went wide as it tracked the sword through the air. She was already mid strike with her practice sword before I threw my sword to her, she allowed her momentum to carry her as her practice sword made contact with and infected head exploding it like a watermelon getting hit with a sledgehammer. I watched in awe as she gracefully took one step forward then used the slumping of the unfortunate member of the dead she just dispatched to propel herself upward into the air catching the sword by the hilt in midair doing a summersault and bringing he blade down on another splitting the body in half. I watched as a thin smile appeared on her face

"Nice craftsmanship" she said barely audible due to the chaos of the fight but I was able to just make out her words

"You know I only use the best" I replied smirking

"I can see that" she responded as she decapitated several bodies slicing through their abdomens.

I let out a grunt of approval and turned my focus to the dead in front of me. The horde was growing and fast and I only had a few more magazines for each of my handguns left so I holstered them and retrieved my tomahawks. "Hirano I need a Sit Rep!" I yelled as I readied my stance. A line of the undead moving slowly toward my position. I bolted forward taking and overhand swing bringing the blade down through the skull of and infected, then reversed my stance, pivioted on my right foot and swung backhanded using the pick side of the tomahawk and embedded it into the skull of the infected behind him. With a jolt I dislodged the "hawk" tooe step back then turned to face another infected using and upward slash catching another just under the chin splitting the frontal lobe in half. The body slumped over in its own gore. I wasted no time in bring the Hawk in my other hand horizontally, the strike was so fast that I felt almost no resistance as the blade cut through the throat of the unlucky bastard and split the spinal column in two. Electrical impulses immediately cease to function and the body dropped.

"I'm down to my last mag, Takashi is also out of ammunition and Rei needs immediate medical attention, she looks pretty bad I'll be surprised if she can walk. Shizuka and Alice are safe for now in the Humvee but if we can repel these fucks it won't matter." He paused, I noticed a quiver in his voice, and he was beginning to get overwhelmed. "They just keep coming!" he yelled to me he was panicked.

"Here take this!" I yelled to him as I removed my rifle from my back and backtracked to the Humvee. I handed the rifle up to him and what was left of my ammunition "If you lose this I will personally kill you myself!" I said with a grin. Hirano took the rifle from my hands simply nodded and reloaded the weapon. A black stare overcame his face and I would swear I made out a thin smile. "Now I want you to keep those monsters away from Takashi and Rei. I'm going to find us a way out of this!" I paused before looking over to Saeko, who was systematically dismembering any unlucky infected to get within her range which being the skilled swordsman she was impressive to say the least. "Saeko, reposition yourself and help Hirano keep those bastards off of Takashi and Rei" I yelled over to her expecting some sort or retort, but it never came to my relief. She simply nodded and ran over to where Takashi and Rei were located. "Takashi, get Rei inside the Humvee!" I ordered.

"But she cant move I think she-"Takashi began to protest

"Either you move her, or she dies!" I responded angrily

"Takashi it's alright, with your help I should be able to get up" Rei suddenly said. She raised her hand and placed it on Takashi's face gently guiding his eyes into hers "Please, Help me up" she said as she grunted in pain.

Takashi only nodded as he gripped her hand. "What we need is a Distraction of some sort, something loud!" Takashi yelled out of anger of the situation. My mind flashed with the memory of the large propane tank that I had seen while I was on top of the building during the morning. And suddenly I had a plan, it was crude and it was overly dangerous, but given the situation it was our only option. The horde was advancing and even though me and Saeko could probably fight our way out, given the circumstances of the rest of the group, if we left they would be torn to pieces.

"Seako!" I yelled as I sliced my tomahawk through and infected. "I have a plan!"

"Oh yeah what's your great plan?" she responded as she was splitting an infected head in two.

"Hirano, once I give the signal I want you to immediately stop firing and get down into the Humvee and don't make a fucking sound, Saeko I want you inside as well!"

"But Gabri-"Hirano began to speak but I quickly cut him off

"That's and Order!" I yelled at him effectively shutting him up. He nodded and complied.

"What the fuck are you thinking?" Saeko protested, a look of shock was spread across her face.

"Trust me" I said as I pulled the grenades from my chest. I was about to prime them but just before I pulled the pins I felt someone grab my arm and forcefully spin me around. It was Saeko and she was staring into my eyes, her angered look replaced by a worried expression

"Gabriel no-"she began to speak

I cut her off "look, it's the only way. I found you once I'll do it again" I said as I peered into her eyes. I tried me make my voice as soothing as possible.

"I'm going with you"

"Like Hell you are," I said sternly "look It will be easier if I go alone, besides you need to be here to protect the group should things go south." I paused as I glanced over to the horde that was advancing slowly but was now only about 10 yards away from us.

Saeko looked as if she was going to say something but she never did she just nodded and lowered her head averting her gaze from my eyes. I instinctively took a step toward her closing the distance to mere inches; she did not move or try to shy away from my advance. "I will find you" I finally said resisting the urge to embrace her.

I felt her tense up as she looked back into my eyes with a pained expression, her mouth opened a little as if to speak but instead she turned and began walking back to the Humvee. By now Takashi and Rei were seated inside the armored vehicle and Hirano was still firing into the crowd. "Don't die" she finally said cocking her head slightly so that I could only see a portion of her face.

"I'd only allow you the honor Saeko"

She hesitated at my response and I smiled back at her and watch as she climbed into the Humvee. I could see through the windows as she sat in the back and glanced toward me. I smiled as I turned from view and looked at Hirano "on my Mark" I said as I pulled the pins from the grenades and let them fall to the floor, a metallic clinking sound echoed even through the moans of the Dead. I turned toward the Horde and rolled the first grenade at the feet of the infected. It bounced a few times and went about 15 yards in front of me and disappeared from view obscured by the walking dead. "MARK!" I yelled just as the first grenade went off. Blowing chunk of flash and bone through the air, severed limbs scattering from the blast zone, immediately the gunfire from Hirano ceased. Where the grenade had detonated, it cleared a small section roughly 10 yards in diameter. After I saw the result I rolled the other grenade with a little more force in the same direction, it detonated and produced similar results. I then retrieved my tomahawks and charged forward lowering my shoulder; I bust through the thinned line of infected and entered the small cleared out area. I kept my momentum as I drew my right hand back and came down horizontally and split a zombie from the neck down to his chest, I followed with and upwards slash which removed the head then plant kicked the body in the chest. I felt the sternum crack under the blow and watch as the body flew backwards knocking sever others over. I kept my feet moving charging and slashing threw the horde, my muscles began to burn and my breathing became heavy, the damage from my previous engagements fully intent on letting me know that it's still there, but I don't stop and keep pushing. Soon my mind goes black as my training takes over _be like water, conform to each individual circumstance, don't think just react_ I thought to myself as I powered through the undead horde.

_**Saeko POV**_

_I'm supposed to hate this man so why do I always feel so drawn to him…damn him_ I thought to myself as I chewed on my lower lip absentminded. I sat near the window of the Humvee looking from the corner of my eye at Gabriel as he stood defiant amiss the horde. The Bark from Hirano's rifle still cutting the air, meanwhile Miss Shizuka had her head planted on the steering wheel at the driver seat, Takagi was holding Alice and Alice was holding Zeke and slowly rocking him, attempting to keep him from barking, Takashi was embracing Rei as she sobbed silently in his chest. He looked worn down and worried. I gripped Gabriel's sword, my body itching to get into the fight, I wanted to do something anything, _why the hell am I just sitting here_! I yelled to myself in my head I looked out the window again. Gabriel had completely turned around, he had two objects in his hand and I noticed something else that was off, he was smiling. My Heart almost stopped as I Realized the only time Gabriel smiled was when he was about to do something very… stupid. I quickly rose to my feet and was about to make a bolt out the door when he suddenly rolled one the objects into the crowd I hesitated as the action took me by surprise, but once my mind registered I quickly abandoned the idea and ducked down below the window. A few seconds ticked by before suddenly a shockwave was blown through my chest, immediately causing and adrenaline spike. I looked up to see Hirano who was holding his rifle against his chest and was chuckling_._

"What's so funny?" Takagi yelled at Hirano, who immediately stopped laughing but still had a grin on his face. I noticed he was about to respond when a second explosion ripped through the air.

I ducked again as I looked over to Hirano "please enlighten us" I responded sternly

"Well, he certainly knows how to get things done" Hirano said as he looked down, obviously flustered "I mean he doesn't exactly use a lot of discretion"

"What?" Takagi said he voice full of surprise.

"He's impulsive, arrogant, reckless and-" I began to say as if marking off a list.

"And your absolutely crazy about him" Rei suddenly piped up

Her sudden response had taken me by surprise as I immediately felt my cheeks warm in embarrassment. I looked at Rei trying to conceal my emotions but found it very difficult, she was smiling at me. Obviously she was having fun with my reaction.

"Th-that's no it at all!" _damnit_ I said to myself _why the fuck am I stammering!._ "He just pisses me off that's all" I finally said as I looked out the window searching for any sign of Gabriel. I found only a picture of chaos and limbs flying through the air "bastard, still making a fool out of me" I said under my breath.

_**Author POV**_

Gabriel broke through the infected horde and began the second part of his plan, to make as much noise as possible in order to draw the attention of the horde towards him. He only had a vague idea of where the propane tank was located so he knew he would have to move quick enough to not get cornered if he accidently took a wrong turn but slow enough so that he could draw as many as them away as possible. Luckily at the time being he had the undivided attention of the undead due to the explosions from the grenades, and he noticed that Hirano had stopped firing like he was ordered. Gabriel however noticed that the attention span of the dead horde was incredibly short as they would move slowly in his direction but not in unison, some we branching off and scattering. In order for Gabriel plan to work he needed all of them to follow him. So he un-holstered his handgun and fired two shots into the pack. The echo of the shots reverberated off the walls of the street and surrounding structures amplifying the report. It was more than enough to draw attention to him as he noticed the entire pack turn and begin staggering toward him. _There yeah go ya dumb fucks come to dinner. _ I began to back pedal then turned and started a slow jog, I retrieved my Hawk and busted out the side window of a nearby car keeping their attention on me. I did my best to assess the situation and try to get a scope of how many were following me but when I looked out over the sea of undead I realized that there were more of them pouring in from what seemed like every direction. I made a mental note to keep my head on a swivel in case one of them decided to pop up behind me.

Now I wasn't entirely sure about where I was going, I only knew the general direction, so every now and then I'd turn and run ahead to try to get a bearing on my position looking for anything that looked familiar, then I'd run back and either break in another window or if that wasn't loud enough id fire a few shots into the horde. I had to be careful though I would need at least a couple rounds if my plan was going to work.

I finally found the building that I had slept in the night before and using that location I led the horde of zombies through the lifeless streets, I took notice that the horde was growing larger. It seemed every single infected was trying to get at me. I found myself screaming at the top of my lungs and pounding on street poles or breaking windows anything to keep the fragile attention of the undead.

When I had finally arrived at the gas station where the monstrous Propane tank was located I realized that the entire place was filled with the infected. My guess what that they were drawn to the noise that I was making. The Station was on a street corner just outside the main metropolitan area. A Street ran parallel next to the station while the other three sides of the structure were lined by a woodland area. The Large propane tank was place just adjacent to the main structure behind the Fuel pumps. The infected were beginning to pour in from all sides; in order for this to work I would have to work quickly. I ran over to the tank and sheathed my weapons while retrieving the magnesium flare that I had taken from the dead SDF forces the day before, _I knew this would come in handy_ I thought to myself as I struck the bottom of the flare igniting it, the flame glowing a bright green. I then propped the flare, flame side upwards and leaned it against the Tank it instantly started to burn its way through the metal exterior as metal began to deform and melt. I quickly rose to my feet and turned, coming face to face with a mob of infected. The moans drowning out all sounds as I stared in bewilderment at the sheer amount of dead and drew my tomahawks, _shit, how the fuck do I get out of this one_ I thought as I twirled the hawks in my hands. I kept my eyes scanning, ever aware of the literal time bomb behind me. I spotted a thinning in the line of undead to my left that would lead into a woodland area and in the general direction of where I had left Saeko and quickly decided that that was my best option. I crouched low and exploded forward throwing my weight behind the attacks of the tomahawks. Each strike resulted in another infected dead, another lifeless walking corpse roaming God Great earth. I felt my chest tighten as the adrenaline once again pumped though my veins, I allowed my mind to go blank as I once again used my limiter technique, but this time for only a few seconds, it however gave me just the right amount of boost to break through, or so I thought. As soon as I broke through the first line another wave of infected had emerged through the brush, I glanced back at the propane tank and noticed the flare still burning hot, but it was moving too slowly, seeing that I was about to be surrounded I knew that I had act quick before I ended up on the dinner menu. I desperately scanned my surroundings and soon found what I looking for; a small hill that led into what I hoped was some sort of defecate. I immediately jumped in action and sprinted toward the advancing horde. I un holstered my tomahawk in my left and my 1911 in my right and headed for the small hill which was only a few steps away. I used a downward slashing blow which cut the infected from his neck diagonally to his abdomen severing the spinal cord and splitting the body in half spilling its entrails on the ground, I kicked the now dead weight body in order to remove my hawk, this caused the dead to fall over tripping over themselves creating a small gap for which I would take advantage of. I broke into a full sprint and just before the top of the hill I jumped and turned toward the tank while simultaneously bringing the handguns sights up to my eye. I immediately remembered what my father had burned into my memory from such a young age, _before you even attempt to break the shot make sure your mind is clear, clear mind means you can focus on the task at hand, that task being putting that bullet exactly where you want it to go. This process should happen immediately, time is of the essence the quicker you are will depend on if you live or die. After your mind is clear the physical process of breaking the shot will take place, first make sure your hand elbow and shoulder are in line with the sights, this will give you a stable platform from which the recoil will travel directly into the strongest part of your arm. The next thing you focus on is sight picture. The top of the front sight post should be aligned with the top of the rear sight with equal amount of light on either side of the front post. Once you have a proper sight picture and your target is acquired, now begins the actual phase of pulling the trigger, don't grip the gun too tightly, just enough to hold it steady, next with the pad of your finger not the joint pull directly backwards toward the rear of the gun, be careful not to jerk the trigger. It is very crucial that you do not anticipate the shot at you will inevitably move the sights off target, let the shot break cleanly it should not surprise you but you should not anticipate it. If you do all these things correctly your round will hit the target where you want every single time. _As I remembered this lesson from my father my body naturally went through the motions. The Gun jumped in my hand as the round exited through the barrel and tore through the atmosphere. It wasn't a long shot maybe only 20 yards away but granted I was in midair turning and firing with one hand, if I made this shot even I would be impressed. I watched as the round impacted just above the flares flame tearing into the metal like a hot knife through butter, less than a millisecond later the tank blew. I felt the heat wash over me as I fell behind the small hill. It was hot, very hot I felt as though my skin was melting. Dust and debris flew just inches over my head, and the shockwave from the explosion ripped through my chest nearly knocking the wind out of me. I felt limbs and blood rain down on my position as I instinctively covered my head with my hands. The explosion was enough that the ground shook under my body. I stayed there in that position for about 4 seconds until I picked my head up and took in my surroundings. What I saw astonished me, the earth where the tank stood was charred black and the only remnants of the gas station was that of the foundations.

_**BOOM!**_ Another blast ripped through me, this one was larger and much, much hotter. I instantly ducked back behind the hill as a massive fireball blared over my head. The heat was immense and I instantly knew I had burns on my neck and shoulders, the only thing protecting me was my Armor which thank God was fire resistant be even still the heat seeped through and seared my skin. I tasted copper as I coughed up blood from the concussive force of the blow. I felt the ground lift up under me, it was very minute movement but anytime a blast causes a small earthquake like this did I knew it was one hell of a bang. I lifted my head as the heat began to dissipate and stared wide eyed as the scene. A black plume of smoke was rising into the air and a small crater could be seen from my position. I guessed that from the propane going up in flames that the main gas tanks had been compromised and caught fire and subsequently grenaded. The entire region about 100 meters in all directions was charred back from the heat, and the bodies of the dead layed burned to ash. The smell of cooked flesh reached my nostrils and I fought back my urge to vomit. Not a single walking dead stood, I saw a few who had escaped but their limbs had been burned or where in the process of burning away making them move slow and unbalanced. It was almost comical. I turned around to look at what was behind me only to see trees completely on fire, and shards of tree trunk blown apart. "shit, that was a little larger bang than I had thought It was gonna be" I said to myself as I gazed wide eyes before the distant moans of the undead shook my back to reality. "Fuck, time to go" I said as I picked myself up from the floor and began running back toward where I had left Seako and the others.

_**Takashi POV**_

We had been lucky, shortly after Gabriel had begun to lead the horde away from us Saya's mother had shown up with a rescue squad and used high pressure hoses in order to keep the infected at a distance which gave us enough time to climb over the fence. It had been a tearful reunion for Saya who deeply embraced her mother when she saw her, I didn't want to admit it but at the time I felt a pang of jealousy for at least she knew her mom was okay. But that quickly subsided as I realized I was happier for her that anything and from the way things have been going a little bit of good new couldn't hurt.

For the most part the group was ok, Alice was obviously shaken up a little more than the rest of us but she seemed to be ok. Miss Shizuka eyes were still puffy from the tears but I think she battled the fear with keeping herself busy by tending to our wounds. Hirano and Saeko looked to be the calmest; this kind of caught me off guard at least in Hirano's case. Saeko was a trained warrior and I expected her to be composed given the situation, but Hirano was not a soldier. I mean sure the guy could shoot and he had a pretty good wealth of knowledge as far as military tactics and weapons but other than the training her received in the states he was still a normal High school student so when I looked at him and saw that he was smiling and joking during our ride to the Takagi Manor I was a little surprised but glad nonetheless. For myself I was holding up ok, I was more tired then anything but I also had a nagging, feeling about my participation during the last battle. I couldn't shoot for shit with that rifle, only with the shotgun did I have any luck and I spilled the shells all over the floor trying to reload. It was painfully obvious that I was going to need some training before we go against the infected next time, I'll be damned if ima be the weakest link. And besides I have Rei and the rest of the group to look after. I hesitated at the thought as I felt Rei lean her head on my shoulder, I looked at her and gave he a warm smile with she reciprocated then I caught Saeko looking in my direction. She was giving me a slight smile, which made me blush a little with embarrassment but that was quickly diminished as I felt Rei grab my hand and wrap it around her shoulder as she snuggled up close to me. I felt my check warm up again as she pressed her beautiful body against mine.

_**BOOM!**_ A loud explosion could be heard in the distance, as the sound traveled it echoed through the air. We had just made it through the first gate of the large manor before I heard the blast. I quickly turned toward the sound and notices a small fire about a mile or two away just on the outskirts of the city.

"What the hell was that?" I heard Hirano voice from behind me

"I don't know, obviously an explosion of some sort" I replied

"But who triggered it?" I heard Rei say as she gripped my arm tighter.

I sent Saeko a glance, which was showing about as much emotion as a statue. All she did was turn her body halfway and squint her eyes a little holding Gabriel sword in her hand.

"Maybe that was Gabriel that set it off?" Saya chimed in "I mean he did say he had a plan, and that explosion was loud enough that-"

_**BOOOOOM! **_Just as Saya was about to finish her sentence another explosion ripped through the air, being big enough that we all felt the concussion from where we were. A large fireball could be seen, followed by and even bigger plume of black smoke that seemed to cover the area. I could see bits and pieces of debris flying in all directions through the chaos. I stood in awe at the sight unable to look away.

"HA, HA HA "Hirano bust out laughing

"What's so funny you damn Otaku?!" Saya reprimanded

"Yes please enlighten us once again" Saeko responded with a cold tone

"Well if it is Gabriel, which I'm sure it is, he sure does know how to put on a show!"

"Shut it you idiot! This is no time to be laughing!" Saya yelled at him effective shutting him up immediately.

"Look I'm sorry Takagi, but he did save us and he did say what he promised" Hirano responded almost at a whisper

"Huh?" Saeko quipped

"Yeah he said he was going to lead them away, well that explosion was loud enough to draw probably every one of those things within the area for at least a little while anyway," he paused for a moment "in my opinion, we won today." He said still looking down

A few seconds ticked by as the group sat in silence "You know your right" I replied "That crazy son of a bitch did save our asses, Hirano's right we won today I'd say this is a perfect time to be laughing" I said as I flashed Hirano a smile.

A few seconds ticked by as each member of the group took in what had happened, before suddenly one by one we all burst into laughter. We stood there laughing our asses off as we watched the smoke rise into the air. We were alive, and that was enough so smile about.

_**Author POV**_

It didn't take Gabriel long enough to find his way back to where he had left Saeko and the others. He was happily surprised that when he did arrive the only things present were a couple infected still roaming and the vacant Humvee. Further inspection on his part revealed that there was no blood inside the vehicle confirming his belief that they had either been rescued or were able to fight their way out of the corner and move to a safer location. Either way he was confident that they group was safe.

Gabriel decided that the most logical direction would've been to climb over the wire fence that spanned the road. So Gabriel followed and dropped down into the vacant neighborhood and pressed on. He was tense but alert; his body ached especially where he was burned. But he banished the pain from his mind by concentrating on the task at hand which was finding the group. The neighborhood he was in was completely devoid of life, both of the true living and of the infected. It was completely quiet save for the light breeze and the songs of birds. It was also the first time that Gabriel had been able to smell clean air without the lingering smell of rotting flesh, decay or blood. He inhaled deeply savoring the sweet smell. Suddenly he felt his chest tighten and his anxiety spike, his mind drifted unrestrained to the thought of a world without the infection, and found that he could no longer think of a future without death, and the dead roaming the streets. This alarmed him as he leaned his body up against a wall of a bakery shop. He stared at the floor attempting to somehow banish these thoughts from his mind. But the harder he tried the more it would fill his conscious. Soon the faces of all the people he cared about began to fill his mind, especially those of his squad and the new group of People he found himself curiously attached to. He pictured each one of them dying, being devoured alive by the dead, tearing at their flesh, with each face that he pictured his anxiety grew. But when his mind arrived to Saeko, he suddenly found that he couldn't picture her dying, but instead he pictured himself. Her body standing over him as he was eaten alive, she was crying telling him that he lied to her, yelling at him that she was supposed to be the one to kill him not these monstrosities. Just as fast as the Anxiety had came, he found it subsiding, his chest being filled with something he has not felt in a long time, but something he welcomed. It was Anger, and Rage, and most importantly determination. He had a promise to uphold. He remembered what she had told him a long time ago, something that had always stuck with him being etched into his mind _remember Gabriel "don't make a Girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it"_. Gabriel found his footing again as he stood tall and inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and making sure to allow his senses to unclog. He had never suffered Anxiety like that before in his life which somewhat alarmed him, but at the same time he realized that his mental shape was now more focused than it had been since the whole ordeal with the dead started. And maybe just maybe a little scare was worth the mental focus. Gabriel didn't dwell on it for long. He still had an objective.

Gabriel spent another 20 minutes roaming the streets of the deserted neighborhood before he found himself in front of a makeshift barricade complete with two guards. Both were holding assault rifles and we dressed in civilian clothes, but had on bullet proof vests and tactical gear. Obvious militia, but where they had gotten the equipment, was baffling considering that Japan was an Anti-gun Regime. Either they were smuggled illegally, or they were the product of a very influential individual. _Intriguing _Gabriel thought to himself as he approached the barricade.

"Hold it there!" one of the guards shouted as he raised his rifle.

_ Hmm they are on edge_, "look I mean to cause no trouble, just looking for a few friends that's all."

The Man hesitated at the sound of hearing Gabriel speak Japanese. Obviously unexpected, but he quickly composed himself "who are you?" he finally said still pointing his rifle directly at Gabriel's chest.

"My name is Gabriel Kael, Major in Authority Arms Private military. I wish to speak to the Person in Charge."

Once again the man hesitated contemplating he response, unsure of what to think. To the Guard Gabriel was just an armed High schooler. And here he was asking to talk directly to their leader, who was this kid he thought.

"look I mean no harm I'm just looking for some of my friends and maybe whoever it leading this place will know of them, I'm friends of Saeko Busujima, Takashi Kumoro, Saya Takagi-" Gabriel was suddenly cut off

"Wait you know Miss Takagi?" he replied shocked. Lowering his weapon slightly

Gabriel smiled _found it _"yes I know her, very well and I wish to speak with her" a few seconds ticked by as the guard was pondering the consequences.

"Very well, but you will have to leave your weapons here-"

"Absolutly not" Gabriel said deadpanned

"wha, what?, that's not an option if you wish to see-"

Gabriel patience was wearing thin "look one way or another I'm going to see Miss Takagi, now I can either forcefully remove you for this position, or you can point me in the correct direction, but under no circumstances am I'm giving up my weapons, but you are willing to try to take them." Gabriel responded, a sly smile spread across his face. Deep down he really wanted the guard to try it, but he wouldn't get his wish in this confrontation. The guard finally shook his head and motioned for him to pass through.

"Just follow this road up to the mansion. It's there you will find the misses." He said averting Gabriel's gaze.

"Thank you" Gabriel responded as he walked past the barricade and up toward the mansion. On the way to the Mansion Gabriel walked through a very well organized refugee camp. It was complete with living quarters made up of canvas tents, a cafeteria, and restroom facilities. Gabriel also noticed that the entire camp was being powered by electricity which led him to believe that the Power grid was still live. That was a good sign maybe the city was doing better than he had originally thought. Gabriel ended the thought as he approached a large rod Iron Gate, behind the gate was an extremely beautiful and large mansion that he could only believe was the Takagi Household. _Goddamn, must be nice to live in one of those_ he thought to himself as he walked through the gate. _Odd, nobody seems to be outside_; Gabriel noticed that there were no guards outside and that the house looked vacant. He kept his eyes scanning for any indication that someone was inside, his eyes found a truck parked out in front of a Patio stairway that led into the front door of the house. That's when his eyes caught movement from one of the top windows of the home. Gabriel paused trying to get a better look at whatever it was but, whatever was there was now gone. _Hmm, maybe I'll just ring the doorbell_ he thought as he kept walking towards the front door.

_Holy shit_ Saeko thought to herself as she glanced out one of the large windows. There she saw Gabriel walking toward the house. _That sonavabitch actually found me…wait that asshole left me again_! She thought as she felt her chest tighten with rage. She was still wearing her school uniform; she hadn't had the time to change since she was still waiting to be checked out by Miss Shizuka who was giving everyone in the group a thorough physical.

Saya opened the door to the room where Shizuka was giving the physicals and stepped into the hall where Saeko was "hey Seako your u-"she paused as she looked at Saeko who was staring out the window. Saya immediately noticed the tension in her posture especially the death hold grip she had on the Katana she was carrying. "Hey you alright?" she asked as she began to approach Saeko slowly holding her hand out to her. Saeko didn't say a word as she turned on her heel and quickly began speed walking down the hall away from Saya and made a right down the flight of stairs that would lead to the front door. "What the hell?" Saya said under her breath as she quickly jogged over to the window that Saeko had previously occupied took one look out and saw Gabriel "SHIT, GUYS GABRIELS BACK!" she yelled back toward the room as she took off after Saeko.

Gabriel was almost to the stairs that would lead to the front of the house when suddenly the door flew open. Saeko exited the door at a very quick pace. Her face was emotionless "Thank God you're ok Saeko" Gabriel said as he stopped his feet and studied the woman who was seemingly picking up her pace as she neared him. Saeko flashed him a mischievous smile

"Indeed, I am ok" she said as she suddenly bust into a run. She completely ignored the stairs that led down either side of the raised patio and jumped over a stone wall that dropped about 10 feet the ended on the terrace that Gabriel was on.

"Aww, shit" Gabriel said as he watched her land perfectly unsheathing her sword in the process, _HIS_ sword he might add and lunged in his direction. Gabriel barely had enough time to react as Saeko movements were blisteringly fast, and he drew his tomahawk locking blades with her. He silently thanked his CO for suggesting he put a titanium solid core inside the handle of the tomahawk because any other strike as that sword would've cut right through it. "The fuck you doing Saeko! Hell of a way to say hello!" he yelled at her as they both kept their eyes locked on each other.

"The hell with you!" she replied as she broke the stalemate and struck again, Gabriel sidestepping to dodge to attack. She followed with a thrust aiming for his abdomen to which he used his bare hand to bat the side of the sword knocking it off its course. He spun to his left trying to evade, but Saeko had counted on this as she planted on her front foot and threw a backwards roundhouse kick aimed at Gabriel Temple. Gabriel Saw the attack blocked it by bringing he forearm to his head. The kick landed with such force Gabriel was knocked back. _Well I see she's been practicing_ he said to himself as he steadied himself and resumed a defensive stance. He glanced behind her to see that the rest of the group had assembled on top of the patio and was looking downward at them, looks of horror painted their faces.

"I came back!" Gabriel said to her making sure to make eye contact with the purple haired fireball. All he got In return was another devilish smile and a glazed over eyes. "Damnit why won't you just listen to me!" he followed with

"No" she said just under her breath, barely loud enough for Gabriel to hear "no I won't be hurt by you anymore" she said as she lunged for him again. This time her attacks were even faster and more ferocious. _Well at least I know she is DEFINITELY qualified for the job_ Gabriel thought as he focused on parrying her attacks. By now Saeko was moving with such speed and precision that even Gabriel couldn't follow, but instead was relying on subtle body movements and posture in order to gauge where her next attack was coming from. Suddenly he spotted and opening and took it. Saeko was in the middle of sending a slashing attack coming over her head straight down aimed at Gabriel's head, Gabriel having little time dropped his tomahawk in front of him allowing him to have two free hands, he caught Saekos wrists just before she was able to level out her Katana catching her off guard, then using his superior strength pried her right hand off the hilt of the sword and it an instant twisted it around pining it in the small of her back. Gabriel then using his left arm, he wrapped it around her body and pulled her in close to him. The ending result of the maneuver left Saeko being held from behind by Gabriel, who pressed his body into hers, and pulled her into him. He then whispered into her ear "What do I have to do, to show you I'm here for _you" _

Saekos was suddenly snapped back to reality as she realized what had just happened. Emotions of sorrow, anger, and guilt flooded her and she was sent reeling mentally. But as quickly as those negative emotions had come, she suddenly realized that she was once again in Gabriel's embrace. She felt a sudden rush of happiness fill her body as she allowed her senses to "take" Gabriel in. Memories followed after as she remembered the time she shared with him, nights of sitting on the roof top watching the stars after a long day of training. The feeling and excitement of sparring with Gabriel, never malicious but always pumping each other up, encouraging each other to always become better, how each day was filled with happiness and adventure. She then remembered how he had held her when she was sad, how he talked to her and comforted her when she needed it. Or how he had always tried to make her happy or laugh. The little things that had stopped the day he had left-"

Gabriel began to feel her relax slightly and was beginning to think that he was getting through to her when suddenly she threw her head back, landing it directly on Gabriel's forehead. White hot pain shot through his eyes as he let go of her and staggered back grabbing his head in pain. His vision was blurred but he managed to make out see Saeko standing in an aggressive stance sword in front "No Gabriel, "she stammered, her head still fresh of the memories and emotions that just overcame her a few seconds ago "I made you a promise, and this is how it ends" she said her voice quivering as it left her.

Gabriel knew what she meant. Maybe their relationship wasn't salvageable, suddenly all the resolve the he once had for her left him as he left the thought sink in. He was overcome with grief and sadness. _Fine, I'll let you decide sweetheart_ he said to himself as he resumed his defensive stance and unsheathed his tomahawks "I see, well let's see what you got" he replied emotionless.

This caught Saeko off guard again as she hesitated, then she clenched her teeth and lunged full speed toward Gabriel lowering her sword to her side as she ran. When she was within striking distance she leveled her sword and aimed directly for Gabriel's abdomen, she would impale him with his own sword and end his life with her hands.

Time began to move slowly for Both Saeko and Gabriel who still hadn't moved to parry or dodge her attack. Her mind suddenly filled with images of them growing up, his smile, his laugh his stupid pranks he used to pull on her. Then she felt her chest tighten, and a rush of guilt and sorrow spread throughout her body, but it wasn't until she felt another type of emotion overcome her that she began to really get scared. It was the feeling of loneliness that she hadn't realized was gone when Gabriel had showed up, that was now returning with a vengeance. It was in that moment that she realized she was making a big mistake, it was also in that moment that she realized that Gabriel still had not moved, and that he wasn't intending to move. He aimed to allow her to kill him and was only making it look like she had gotten through his defenses so that the rest of the group watching would think that he had fought back. Even now he was still trying to protect her.

She used all her available speed and might to divert the attack but it wasn't enough, as she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. She felt the sword enter soft tissue, but then it enerted something very hard _wait a second, organ tissue is soft why is there such resistance, _ she thought as she opened her eyes revealing the sword piercing Gabriel's shoulder and exiting through the shoulder blade as the edge of the blade could be seen on the other side. She immediately met Gabriel's gaze as his eyes were filled with pain, his teeth clenched tight. She silently let out a sigh of relief at the very real mistake she almost made but she did not show it. Her concern was on what Gabriel would do next. "Why didn't you dodge, you idiot" she said through lowered eyes. She was still in a stabbing position and had yet to let go of the swords handle. She saw Gabriel smile through the pain as he quickly grabbed onto her hands with his right hand and lifted his head to meet her eyes. Then he shoved the blade deeper into his shoulder grunting away the pain and drawing Saeko who was now visibly taken horrified, closer to him. So close that she could feel his breathing against her face and the radiance of his body heat.

"Now I know your answer, " he paused to catch his Breath as the pain was immense. "If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it" he replied with a slight smile.

"You reckless piece of shit" she said lowering her head

"Reckless yes, but it was the only way to get your goddamn attention, you think skulled pain in my ass"he said just above a whisper so only Saeko could hear it, but it was full of annoyance and anger.

"What's going on here!" another voice boomed from behind them, it was feminine in pitch and tone but very elegant and powerful nonetheless. The others in the group who were watching the exchange slowly turned around, Saya was especially scared at the woman standing behind them, as the voice had come from none other but her own Mother. Saya's mother was exceptionally beautiful; she had long purple hair, fair skin, and sported large perky breasts and very tight buttocks that were accentuated by the skin tight red dress that hugged her body, and the 6 inch heels that she expertly walked in. Usually a smile would be painted on her face, but now a look of concern, and distress took its place. Saeko and Gabriel were still beaming at one another, but Saeko was the first to break away from him and face Saya's Mother.

"Lady Takagi, My Apologies for this incident" Seako said as she bowed her head towards Saya's Mother

"Yes I apologize for the disturbance, My lady, me and-"Gabriel was cut off

"Save it, what I want to know is where you learned martial arts. I'm aware of Miss Busijima's lineage as her father trained my husband Souichiro, but to stay alive against his kin, especially one of Miss Busujima's talents is nearly unheard of. Please if you would allow me asking but who are you young man?"

Gabriel was taken aback by the statement _how long had she been standing there?_ He thought, but collected himself and stood at attention, Sword still in his shoulder and all. He then bowed his head and snapped a salute "My name is Gabriel Kael, Major and member of Authority Arms Private Military Corporation, Leader of Spectre squad. I was taught by my Father and was mentored under Miss Busujima's father as well in the arts of war." Gabriel Voice was calm collected and monotone, but he put emphasis on the word war as his voice trailed off.

Saeko was beaming at him, as he introduced himself. He also noticed that the rest of the group were staring with their mouths wide open, especially Hirano who knew of the AA military, or at least what little was known about them.

A small smile appeared on Lady Takagi face as Gabriel finished his introduction. "Authority Arms huh," she said as her smile got wider "that's a bold statement to make especially if you claim to be the major, tell me do you have any proof of this?"

Gabriel smiled as he lowered his head, he knew what she was hinting to and he began to recite the creed that had been burned into his head since joining AA

"_When faced with impossible odds, when there seems there is no way out, I swear my life in the protection of the innocent and of God fearing individuals that I will stand strong. Becoming an Immovable object, an unstoppable force, a foundation for the weak and a rally cry for the strong I swear on God that I will fight, instead of accepting the path of defeat, and I will always find a way to win, or I will give my life in the attempt. This is my promise, this is my creed. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen_."

The Group let out a collection of audible Gasps and sighs as he finished. Saeko even stood wide eyed, but this time it was in admiration. Gabriel just stood there at attention his eyes never leaving Takagi's mothers who now had a slight smile spread across her lips. "The Spectre's Creed, interesting" she paused as she shrugged her shoulders "well I guess that will suffice, I was hoping for a badge or at least a business card of some sort."

This cause Gabriel to let out a small chuckle at her pun "My apologies once again Ma'am" he said with a smile.

"Very well," she replied again while turning to Miss Shizuka who was standing with the rest of the group "Miss Shizuka, please tend to Major Kael wounds" she turned to Saeko "and Miss Busujima, Please remove that sword from that man's shoulder, it doesn't look very comfortable"

"Yes Ma'am" Saeko replied turning toward Gabriel

"And to you Major-"

"Please Ma'am Gabriel will suffice" he said to her while waving his arms in dismissively front of him

"Very well, Gabriel please doesn't go getting stabbed by beautiful young women anymore, red isn't necessarily your color and your Bleeding on my very expensive walkway" she responded light hearted.

Gabriel smiled "I'll try not to Ma'am" he said to her as he watched her turn and leave back into the house. He then turned to Saeko who was standing directly in front of him; a small smile appeared on her face. Miss Shizuka was rushing to Gabriel, her breasts bouncing with every step "try not to enjoy it too much Saeko" Gabriel said as he watched her reach for the swords hilt.

"No promises," she said with a mischievous grin, as she grabbed the sword and pulled, dislodging the blade from Gabriel's shoulder, spilling a large amount of blood on his clothes in the process

Gabriel let an out a small cry of pain and gripped his shoulder as he dropped down to a knee. The pain was blinding as he fought to stay conscious. When he looked up again Saeko was gone, and the rest of the group was now by his side. Miss Shizuka was pressing a piece of cloth into the wound which made it hurt even more but it was necessary to stop the bleeding. "Let's get you inside so I can take a look and get you patched up" she said to him.

"Yes, ma'am than-"Gabriel hesitated as suddenly his vision was filled with a view of her massive cleavage, he shook his head and continued "Thank you, very much" he said as he found his footing and the both started inside.

"Your one tough son of a bitch" Takashi said as they followed Shizuka and Gabriel up the stairs. Gabriel responded by giving a thumbs up as he followed Miss Shizuka into the makeshift infirmary.

Miss Shizuka couldn't help but finding herself marvel at the specimen of a human being that sat before her on the makeshift operating table. Gabriel was one hell of a good looking man, well built, his muscle structure was very prominent and defined, tall, tan skinned and the presence of light stubble began to form on his face. He was also very heavily tattooed that was covered by his clothing, but now that he sat shirtless his tattoos could easily be seen. She also noted several scars spread across his chest and back, they were circular in shape and she made a mental note to ask her about them. She licked her lips at the sight of him, lustful thoughts flooding her mind "you're a little bit of a bad boy aren't you" she said in a seductive tone

Gabriel gulped "uh-yeah I guess so" he stammered as he noticed her running her hands along his shoulders, feeling his muscles

Miss Shizuka might've been a ditz but she wasn't ignorant to the way men looked at her, she knew how much sex appeal she had she also knew how to use that sex appeal. "So Gabriel how old are you" she said to him this time whispering into his ear.

This caused Gabriel to shiver as he knew what she was doing and had he not been trained to subside his testosterone tendencies, he probably would've jumped the good doctor's bones. But instead he stood ridged "I'm 18 Ma'am" he responded flatly

"Oh so your legal" she said slyly.

_Shit,_ Gabriel thought as he was quickly trying to formulate a response. He found his relief at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Miss Shizuka," Saeko said as she opened the door. Shizuka was now standing in front of Gabriel and Gabriel thanked God that they were in any compromising positions that Saeko could take as a misunderstanding. Saeko entered the room leaving the door open behind her, she was carrying Gabriel's Katana in her right hand "how's he doing" she asked flatly

"His shoulder will take a bit of time to heal, but he still has full range of motion which is good albeit he probably shouldn't stress it if he doesn't have to. He also has a light burns on his neck and shoulders that doesn't look too serious that I treated with some ointment but he should keep it covered nonetheless. Other than that just a few cuts and bruises, little inflammation here and there but nothing long lasting he should be good as new in a few days, save for the Shoulder that might take a few weeks given the fact the sword went through the bone."

Saeko stood emotionless as Shizuka gave her the rundown of Gabriel's condition. "That's good to hear" she said to her "May I have a moment alone with him"

"Of course, " Shizuka responded as she began walking out the door "Hell of a man you got there," she joked as she passed her stopping only to tell her that. "Go easy on him, I just patched him up" she said as she walked out the door closing it behind her.

The door closed and both of them were left in silence. A large window occupied the far wall across from where Saeko stood, and Gabriel sat on the operating table to her left. There was a bed directly adjacent to him, simple and made up of white coverings. Saeko was first to move as she walked to the large window, making sure to study Gabriel banged up tattooed body, she too noticed the scars but unlike Shizuka she knew they were from Bullets that had found their mark yet failed to do their jobs in taking away Gabriel's life. A wave of emotions was filling her chest as she found herself filled with nervousness. Her eyes would briefly meet Gabriel's before drifting out the window where she looked upon a broken city filled of the undead. She rested the katana against the wall and spoke "How are you feeling"

Gabriel smiled "been worse, how about yourself"

"i-I'm not sure" she responded lowering her head.

Gabriel stood and made his way over to her. He put his hand out and took hers in his. Saeko allowed herself to relish the feeling of him holding her hand, before suddenly pulling her hand away. She was here for a reason and now was not the time to get sidetracked. Gabriel stood there, he was just glad that he had been able to touch her without her throwing a punch his way.

Saeko retreated a few steps before facing him again with his eyes still lowered. "Why did you leave me," she said to him her voice quivering as she found it difficult to steady her voice. "I loved you! You could've at least said goodbye" she said almost yelling

"Saeko, I-"Gabriel was cut off

"Cut the bullshit, Gabriel. You want to explain yourself now the time to do it. You wont get another chance"

Gabriel's temper began to rise at being cut off but he forced the emotion from his mind gathered himself and responded "I wanted to, but I couldn't-"

"Why not!, if you wanted to you should've-"

Gabriel knew that in order for this conversation to work, both of them would have to stay calm so he did his best to keep his tone as mellow as possible "look, if you want to me explain your going to have to hear me out, I talk you listen and vice versa okay" he said as he took a seat on the bed.

Saeko balled her fist, but realized that he was right as she took a few steps toward him stopping only once she was an arm's length away and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, thank you"

"Just get on with it," she replied harshly

Gabriel sighed before speaking "remember when I first began to train with you, you asked me why I was so determined to not give up, you asked me why I was willing to be put through so much torture just to become a better fighter. And do you remember what I told you"

Saeko looked slightly confused but nodded in response "yes, you said it was to avenge your father who you had believed was killed by a traitor in his squad"

"Yes that was exactly it, at first that was all that kept me going, but soon that reason began to fade and I found myself training for another reason, and do you know what that was?"

Saeko shook her head

"To protect _you_" he said "somewhere, sometime during our training I realized that everytime I threw a punch, parried a thrust, or pulled a trigger that I saw not my father, but you." Gabriel let a few seconds tick by as he stared at Saeko waiting for a response. "Suddenly I realized that I wanted to fight so that nothing bad would never come to you, I never told you this cause I knew you would be furious so I kept it to myself. But I never lied to myself about how I felt about you." Gabriel lowered his head "I never lied about how I feel about you. I love you Saeko I always have and I always will but-"

"But it wasn't enough" she said still looking down

"No that wasn't it at all," Gabriel protested, trying to keep her on track. He could tell her rage was building "On graduation day, before the ceremony your father pulled me aside and told me there were some people he wanted me to talk to. Well they turned out to be The CEO and the Leader of Specre squad. Mr. Matthew Cross and Major Daniel Strain, they told me that they had been studying me for a long time and had saw me in action and they wanted to propose to me a deal that would allow me to get directly into the fight. That would allow me to fight without all the red tape and most importantly they said I would be fighting for the good of the world, for an organization responsible for ending both world wars and various powder kegs that popped up around the globe. They said I'd be part of the finest fighting force in the world with the best technology available. Naturally I was apprehensive, but your father reassured me that they were the real deal and I trusted your father's judgment and to this day I do not regret the decision I made to join them." Gabriel watched as Saeko visibly flinched at those last words "they would give me the tools to keep evil away from you" Saeko looked away in the distance unable to look at Gabriel, her hand was balled into a fist and he could see her clenching her teeth. "then they said 'as long as we leave immediately will you be able to become part of our family' in order for me to even get accepted, they were making me leave everything behind. They said it was a symbol of starting a new chapter" It was Gabriel's turn to lower his head before he continued "I wasn't going to go" he said earning him a response from Saeko

"Then why the hell did you" she said her voice filled with anger "if you claim you loved me then why the hell did you leave me! I was barley 14, do you know how much pain you put me through! I was just a little girl goddamnit and one moment your there and then I turn around and you're not! I had to find out from my father that you weren't coming back and all he said was that you went on to complete your mission." She yelled at Gabriel

"They said they knew who killed my dad!" I yelled back causing Saeko to suddenly stop and recoil back in amazement. Gabriel buried his face in his hands before continuing "They told me the Black Dragons were the ones that killed my dad, they also told me that they were AA Arch enemy. At that moment every bit of rage I had harbored for the people responsible for my Dad's death filled me and suddenly I was seeing red. The long lost reason for my training suddenly reared its head and I was nothing but a slave to its desires. I found myself fantasizing about killing my father's killer. Tearing the motherfucker limb from limb and laughing while doing it."

Saeko found herself once again feeling a wave of mixed emotion ranging from happiness that she was getting the truth finally, Gabriel confessing that he still loved her and that he was still the little boy she fell in love with full of ideals and morals. However accompanying those feelings were those of hurt, aguish and betrayal, that he would leave on such a whim hurt her, but she also knew that it was impulsive and that he did it not to hurt her which she at that moment in his life wasn't enough to make him stay. She realized that it wasn't that he left that angered her so much but the reasons attached to it. She suddenly found herself taking a step toward him. He was staring into her eyes waiting for a response, his gaze filled with protest and anticipation. She didn't know what to do or what to say she just stood there for a few long seconds before she felt her body began to move on its own balling her right hand into a fist

Gabriel knew what was coming "Be careful Sweetheart, just know that this will be that last time you EVER strike me out of anger again" he said to her still staring into her eyes. She lowered her head and clutched her teeth tight

_Damnit why does he always have to ability to read me_ she thought to herself as she balled her fist and delivered a hard right cross directly to his cheek. The blow connecting hard, Gabriel's eyes went dark for a few moments as he grabbed his jaw and moved it around, pain searing through the joint, he looked up toward Saeko who was glaring at him, her eyes showing a slight hint of remorse for hitting him. He waited for her to say something but she didn't. All she did was cock her left arm back and threw a picture perfect hook directly at Gabriels head. The punch was fast, faster than he had ever seen her move but he was ready as he ducked under the blow and slid his feet positioning himself behind her. He quickly grabbed her by the torso and held her tight. Saeko next threw an elbow aimed toward Gabe's head to which he again ducked under while using a sweep kick to knock her off her feet. He guided her fall onto the bed so that she fell on her back but landed on the soft mattress, and wasted no time it spreading out her limbs and pinned her to the bed pressing all his weight onto her body.

Saeko didn't fight back once she was pinned; all her strength was gone as she felt his breath on her neck. She blushed slightly as her hormones took over and she was overcome with a feeling of lust but she didn't act upon it. She just turned her head avoiding Gabriel's gaze as he studied her both of the were panting. Gabriel looked upon her body with lust as he began to undress her in his mind. He had never forgotten how beautiful she was, but now that they were all grown up he definitely noticed the parts that had especially gotten bigger in all the right places. He also wasn't able to find a simple imperfection in her body, not a single blemish, or imperfection anywhere to be seen.

Saeko noticed Gabriel's rippling body, and couldn't help but notice she had become moist. She wanted him, she needed him his scent, his looks, and his scarred body was all perfect to her. And then the sudden realization came to her that Gabriel Kael had come back, and here he was on top of her. He had kept his promise, at this realization she turned her face toward him staring into his eyes, then his lips, then back to his eyes. _Kiss me damnit_ she yelled at him in her mind.

Gabriel might have been thick headed but he wasn't stupid and he noticed Saeko subtle movements. He also noticed he had a hard on that threatened to rip a hole in his pants. He was about lean in to kiss her when suddenly

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!_ "Aw hell" Gabriel said under his breath as the quickly jumped off of Saeko who was still visibly flustered. Saeko sat up and fixed her top that was drooping of her shoulder "Come in"

The door opened to reveal Saya "dinner is ready" she said as she stared at the both of them. Her eyes lingering on Gabriel before moving back to Saeko who was now standing and making her way to grab the katana that sat propped against the window.

"Thank you Miss Taka-"  
"Please Gabriel Saya will be fine, no need for formalities," she said waving her arms dismissively

"Okay, thank you Saya we will be down in a minute" he responded.

"Hmm" she replied before closing the door behind her.

Silence filled the room as Gabriel and Saeko locked eyes. "We better not keep them" Saeko said as she began walking to the door. She stopped when she was next to Gabriel "Here" she said extending the katana in her hand toward him

"No, keep it until we find another one" he responded, he was still very aroused from what had happened seconds ago.

"Very well" she said "by the way, please put a shirt on before you come down, I think you almost gave Saya a heart attack" she said with a snicker

"What about you?" he said slyly. Causing Saeko to blush, Gabriel let out a small laugh at her response.

"Don't keep them waiting" she responded as she reached for the handle.

"Wait Saeko," Gabriel said putting his hand out "I need to know, if you want me gone I will leave and I'll never bother you again. God knows I want to stay here but if you don't want me-"

"Gabriel-"Saeko said with a soft tone "only leave, if you want me to kill you" she said as she opened the door

"I won't "he said to her as she closed the door leaving Gabriel alone in the room. A smile plastered across his face.

On the other side of the door Saeko struggled to keep her balance. Her hormones still raging from the encounter with Gabriel, she also noticed her eyes were becoming moist as her mind filled with the realization that Gabriel still loved her, she fought back the tears and chuckled "I just got you back, you're not going anywhere motherfucker" she said under her breath as she made her way down to the dining hall.

_**HELLO EVEYONE! look i'm so sorry for the long delay in publishing this story. ive just been busy with work and school and was also stuck with some mental blocks. i just want everyone to know that i still have alot of ideas for the story but i am open to suggestions. also I just want to thank everyone that has read this story it means alot to me but please dont forget to review the story as your reviews are what helps me continue the story. I should be able to publish alot faster now that my schedule has somewhat opened up again so i hope that you guys don't stop reading because i will be continuing the story. **_

_**well until next time! **_

_**"Dont make a girl a promise, if you cant keep it" love this quote and thought it would fit Saeko and Gabriel perfect, i just had to steal it from Cortana. :p. once again i do not own HOTD or its Characters. **_


	4. NEXT CHAPTER!

Ok guys first off i wanted to apologize for the delay in HOTD: When Hell Opens its Gates. i Started a new job and things have just been super hectic but i wanted to thank all of you for the support and i hope you all continue supporting me as i really love writing this story not just for myself but for everyone reading it especially those that have reviewed. so im just lettting everyone know that i should have the next chapter up by this friday and im looking forward to what you guys think. Again thanks!

-thepointman


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here it is the next Chapter! hope you all like it. Thank you for the Reviews and for taking time to read my story. and as always i do not own highschool of the dead or any of its characters!**_

_**Inside Infirmary**_

_**Well shit I guess I better get moving**_as said as I slipped my shirt over my head and stepped in the lavish hallway which was lined with a row of large windows on one side and doors that led into various rooms on the other. Saeko was nowhere to be seen but my ears picked up the sounds of footsteps behind me. I turned to see Hirano walking at a semi-fast pace toward me; he was holding my rifle and had a smile wide across his face.

"Gabriel-san!" he shouted

"Whoa there, no need for the san bullshit, just Gabriel is fine" I said waving him off

"Oh, okay then Gabriel, you can have your rifle back," he said handing it to me "it's a real tack driver, and I love the flip to side mounted eyotech!"

"Yeah its one hell of a rifle, been through a lot with this thing and it's never failed me once HK really outdid themselves with this one."

"Yeah, So are you serious about being with Authority Arms, I mean aren't they believed to have the best private military in the world?"

Gabriel chuckled "yeah I guess you can say that, and yes it is true"

"But how did you get recruited I mean how old are you?" he asked puzzled

"How old do I look?"

"Well…"

"I've been training for a long time, since I can remember at least. My father was Delta force and he pretty much taught me anything I wanted to learn which was pretty much everything. But it wasn't until Saeko's Father took me under that everything clicked into place, and AA saw that and because they aren't governed by any government because of their demographics they are able to pretty much able recruit anyone they want. I guess they liked what they saw because next thing I knew I was on a plane heading to their training grounds."

"So is that's where you learned to fight" he said enthusiastically. I nodded my head in response.

"By the way where did you learn to shoot like that? That was some top notch marksmanship back there" I asked changing subjects

"Oh well I went on a trip to America where I learned from a guy who worked with Blackwater. He taught me all kinds of disciplines, from handguns to shot guns. I even learned to shoot 1000 yards!" he said eyes brimming with confidence

I let out a low whistle "damn 1000 yards hell of a feat" I said to him. I watched as he puffed out his chest a little in triumph.

Then my stomach began to growl. I still hadn't eaten in the last couple days and the hunger pangs had moved to slight discomfort, to 'fucking feed me now you stupid piece of shit'.

"Hey sorry to break up this conversation but I believe Saya said something about food, and I'm not one to let food go waiting" I said as I put my hand on his shoulder. At that moment his stomach began growling as well "and it looks like you could use a meal as well"

Hirano hesitated and turned a shade of red "yeah I guess so" he finally said

"Don't worry if you have any questions we can talk about this over dinner, besides I think the rest of the group prolly has some questions they want answered as well"

"Yeah I think that would be good" he said as we turned and walked down the hallway toward the dining room.

It was a short walk to the dining area which was lined and furnished in the same fashion as the rest of the house. A large chandelier was suspended in the middle of the room. On the far side a large window allowed light to pour in and illuminate the entire room. In the middle stood a large rectangular table, which was large enough to seat at least 20 people although the only people that occupied the room was everyone in the group save for Rei who was still laid up unable to move very well under her own power. I felt the gazes of the entire group and only paused to look at Saeko who I saw blush slightly then turned her head and took a seat next to Takashi who was sitting furthest away from me. I took a seat at the corner and put my hand in my lap. Everyone else followed suit and sat down next to each other. As soon as the group sat down food was immediately brought out in large quantities. My stomach immediately started growl as my mouth started salivating. As soon as the food was sat down and the plates and bowls were passed out, everyone began to dig in devouring as much food as they could fit in their mouths. I on the other hand fought my urges as I closed my eyes, said a short prayer then calmly grabbed some food and ate it. Everyone took note and hesitated before finally calming down and moved to eating normally and with much more grace and civility. It wasn't long before everyone including me had their fill as we all sat back and relished the food coma that began to take over us. That was until Hirano broke the silence.

"So how do you think the rest of the world is doing" his asked bluntly

"We have no way of knowing, from what we saw at the school TV earlier looks like the world is crumbling" Takashi responded

"You mean this thing might really be global?" Miss Shizuka added

"Whatever is happening out there it's not good, generally in situations where the world is in chaos the earth turns into a powder keg" I responded as I crossed my arms

"What does that mean" Saeko asked

"In the Cold war when the US and Russia were having their dick measuring contests with the nuclear arms race, the Cuban Missile crisis almost sent us into the dark ages"

"Again, what exactly do you mean?" Saya asked flatly

"Simple, with the outbreak being as widespread as it is you can guarantee that everyone is confused as hell. And when there's confusion there is fear, when a country is scared they want to protect themselves and every country that has nukes their leaders hands are hovering over the big red button with doomsday spread across it." I paused "and we can only hope that there's a note attached to that button with a sign that says FUCK NO sprawled across it"

"Shit" Takashi said under his breath

"Still there is nothing we can do except try to stay alive in this mess" Saeko responded

"I agree, the only thing we can control is ourselves" Hirano said

"I agree as well" I responded

"What do you think the US is doing, I mean aren't you worried about what's going on back at your home country Gabriel?" Shizuka asked biting her lip

I took a few seconds as I thought out my answer; the truth is I haven't really thought much about the states since this ordeal had started. "Yeah I guess I am but I'm not there, besides Japan is just as much home as the US, and they have AA on their side so that's a plus"

"Right about Authority Arms was it called, who are they?" Saya asked annoyed that she didn't know the answer

I chuckled a little _**what the hell what is it going to hurt to tell them**_I thought as I formulated my response in my head "Authority Arms was formed in the early days of World War 1 and has since fought in every major engagement that the united states and its allies have fought in. They are a Private military Contracting company that operates in sovereignty of any Government on Earth, we just happen to be sympathetic to American interest's, but we still possess the ability to pick our sides in the wars we choose to fight."

"Holy shit" Takashi muttered, "Does that mean you've fought in wars?"

I nodded

"Which ones?" he countered

"The only wars I've participated in are the Iraq and Afghan wars that America waged after the events of 9/11, but I have been in combat engagements in almost every major region of the globe."

"How many people have you killed" Shizuka asked. Everyone including myself slowly turned at looked at the good doctor. Personally I don't care that people ask me that question, but the others in the room knew that it is always a touchy subject when talking to Veterans. She almost immediately realized her mistake and flailed in embarrassment "I, I mean-"her voice trailed off as she looked at her hands in her lap and fidgeted.

I let out a small chuckle "look don't worry I'm not offended, nor am I particular touchy on the subject. I have no regrets about what I have done."

"So how many?" Saeko asked catching me off guard, her voice was monotone.

I looked directly at Saeko trying to figure out her angle but I was unable to read her as she had a blank expression painted on her face. Her eyes burning into mine, I allowed a few seconds to tick by before I looked around the room to see that everyone's eyes were locked onto me awaiting my answer.

"Confirmed… 1,117" I finally said as my eyes found their way back to Saeko "Confirmed" I said again to emphasize my point

"That means that-" Hirnao began before I cut him off

"Yes, that means that those are the only ones I was able to actually walk over and make sure that they were dead" I said flatly

"Holy hell," Saya said under her breath. I could feel Saekos eyes on me and I met hers. She was looking at me wide eyed. I nodded toward her showing I wasn't lying

"It's been an interesting road I've chosen, but I have no regrets" nobody spoke and a minute ticked off the clock "I want all of you to know that I'm very thankful that I have gotten to meet all of you and that I consider you all of my friends."

"I think it's us that should be thankful for you rescuing our asses" Takashi added

"No I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but just know that I plan on sticking around as long as I am welcome, I hope my past transgressions will not dissuade you from allowing me to help."

"Of course not Gabriel, we would be more than happy to have you with us" Takashi said smiling towards me. This prompted a round of approval from the rest of the members but I noticed that Alice seemed to be a little apprehensive. I filed it as a memory to come back to.

"Thank you" I paused "Hey Sorry to change subjects but Saya do you know it you guys have a working radio, I need to contact my headquarters they probably already think that I am dead or gone AWOL."

"Ah, yes it's thru that door and down the hall in the east wing." She said motioning to a door behind me on the far end of the room. The sun was beginning to fall and the light was turning a deep shade of orange.

"Thank you, if you don't mind I'll take my leave" I responded

"Don't go too far, Gabriel" Saeko said flatly

"Wouldn't dare Saeko" I responded as I stood up and walked out of the room.

_**Takashi Pov Rei's Room**_

"So do you believe him?" Rei asked me

"Well given the circumstances I'd say we are in no position to question him. Also given his skills and knowledge it certainly would explain a lot" I responded as I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall.

"Well I'm just glad he on our side" she said smiling at me.

Rei was lying face down on the bed she was fully naked except for a small towel that covered her buttocks the light that shown through made her skin glow. I found myself lost in thought as my mind drifted to what laid underneath the small towel. She was gorgeous and I found my mind full of lewd thoughts. Here we were, she and I were alone, she was naked and I'm sitting at the edge of the bed, so close!

"TAKASHI!" Rei blurted out at me

I was snapped from my trance "Ah-ye-yes!" I stammered as I realized I had been caught

"You were thinking something naughty weren't you" she said glaring at me her lips pursed

"No-no why would you think that" I said recoiling back almost falling off the bed

Rei eyes briefly narrowed then were replaced by a look of innocence "It's ok you know, I mean at longs as its you looking at me like that I really don't care" she said blushing while looking away from me

"Wha-what!" I stammered unsure of how to respond, I was pretty confused.

This cause Rei to giggle at my reaction, which in turn caused my face to got hot with embarrassment. I got the feeling she sensed this cause she immediately broke into laughter causing me to begin laughing as well.

We sat there laughing for a good while. This gave me time to admire her as I not only marveled at her extremely good looks but also how she always seemed to be there for me. Then a feeling of getting punched in the gut washed over me as my breath left my body. No I wasn't getting hit as Rei was still lying on the bed. I fought to catch my breath, my mind racing at what was causing this sickening feeling.

"Hey, Takashi you alright you suddenly got very pale" she said as she sat upright her hand covering her breasts and her other hand resting on my shoulder. I felt myself break out into a sweat my chest tightening as I looked deep into her eyes when I was hit with the realization that I was deathly afraid of losing this woman. All my feelings came rushing as I realized that I wanted to protect this women no matter what the cost, but I was overcome with grief cause I knew that I was not skilled enough, I had almost lost her less than 24hours ago and all because I wasn't good enough with a gun to protect her. I had been completely useless. Guilt and the feeling of inadequacy filled my stomach and suddenly I had the urge to vomit, thank god that I didn't "TAKASHI TALK TO ME!" Rei yelled to me as she shook my shoulder, her eyes wide with fear.

I suddenly found myself embracing her. "Ow, Takashi that hurts!" Rei said with pained expression.

"I-I can't lose you" I finally said, I tried to think of what to say next but my brain wasn't working as words just flowed from my mouth "I'm not strong enough, I can't lose you, I don't want to lose you" tears began forming at my eyes.

I felt Rei tense up before she removed her arm that was covering her breast and wrapped both her arms around me one hand caressing my head the other around my back. "Takashi, I'm not going anywhere" she said softly

"I almost lost you today; I couldn't even fire a gun!" I said as I buried my head into her shoulder.

Rei didn't move yet increased the pressure in her hug bringing me closer. "You are strong enough; you just need the right guidance. If it wasn't for your leadership, we all would be dead by now, think about it. Escaping the school, that guy that tried to rape me at the gas station, and rescuing Alice was all you're doing, it was because of your leadership that we made it out alive"

"But-"

"No, I don't want to hear it Takashi, don't think of what you can't do, but what you can do to be better" she said to me sternly but not loosening her grip on me. I felt a sudden wave of relief at her words.

"What do you mean?" I said as I finally pulled away from her looking into her eyes once again.

"Who do we know that can teach you how you use a gun?" she said smiling at me

"Hirano and Gabriel!"

"Exactly, maybe you should ask them for some basic lessons? I'm sure they would be more than willing to offer some help" she said cocking her head as to say 'I told you so'

I paused as I thought about the proposal "Yeah your right, I'll talk to them tomorrow about it" I paused once again looking away. When I turned back to look at Rei I noticed she had covered herself with the blanket but was still smiling at me. The next thing I did I wasn't expecting but my body moved on its own as I grabbed one of her hand and pulled her close my lips locking with hers as I kissed her deeply. Rei resisted at first, most likely from shock but then I felt her relax and return the gesture. We stayed there kissing passionately for a few moments before braking. Neither of us said a word to each other and it was her that broke the silence.

"It's about damn time you ass" she said blushing and looking away from me.

I grabbed her chin and gently led her to gaze back into mine "better late than never, right?" I said leaning in

"Damn right" she said as our lips locked again.

_**Radio room Author POV**_

Gabriel strode into the room which was filled with gear and equipment from wall to wall. Everyone seemed hurried in their tasks and there was a certain tension that filled the air. Everywhere people were busy communication with each other working feverishly yet despite the urgency everything seemed to be running smoothly and very organized. He spied a tall man dressed in an all-black suit who was overlooking the entire room. He stood off to the side with his hand behind his back and he wore a serious expression on his face. Gabriel figured he looked to be in charge so he decided to approach him first.

"Sir," Gabriel said as he walked over to the man. Who just looked at him noticed his age and motioned him away

"You're not supposed to be in here kid, please leave at once"

Gabriel felt his blood begin to boil but he kept his cool "Sir, I was sent here by lady Takagi, she has given me permission to use the radio" Gabriel lied

This caught the man off guard but before he could speak Gabriel continued "If you'd like to take it up with her I could call her down taking her away from other important matters" the man hesitated for a second before caving in

"Fine but make it quick"

"Thank you sir" Gabriel said as he strode away and took sat down at a radio and slipped on the headset. He fiddled with the controls for a moment before finally finding what he wanted. He input his password which allowed him access to the AA encrypted channels.

"Sword base this is Spectre One do you read" he spoke into the microphone

Static

"Sword base this is Specrtre One do you read me over?"

More static

_**Shit**_ he thought to himself "Sword base this is Ghost reporting in does anybody read me?"

Static filled his headphones again for a brief moment _"Spectre One this is sword base we read you over" _

A wave of relief spread through his body at the realization that somehow AA wasn't wiped off the map yet.

"_Sword base, good to hear your voice is the General around?" _

_ "Likewise Ghost, hold on"_ a few seconds ticked by "_Major, glad to see you're not dead, would've been a pity to have survived as many battles only to be take out by some monsters" _the voice on the other side said

_** Goddamn he can be a prick sometimes**_ Gabriel thought "General Daniel your as cheery as ever, old man" he responded putting emphasis on old

"_Your manners and respect for the chain of command has always pestered me, remind me Gabriel why we didn't kick your ass out of the Authority"_

Gabriel smiled "because sir, I'm the best, besides you spent too much money training me it would be a shame to see all that hard earned money goes down the drain"

"_Very true major," _General Daniel sighed "_anyways, good to see your alive Gabriel, "_this time the man replied but with compassion in his voice. The banter that goes on between them is more of mentor student, or rivalry, but Gabriel knew that deep down the General cared deeply for everyone under his command.

"Thank you sir," he paused "what's going on out there sir?"

_"The entire world has gone to shit, Moscow is completely dark, Europe is in shambles except for England who is under strict quarantine, the British aren't playing nice with anyone, and the Middle East as a region is under complete chaos moreso now than ever"_

"What about the states?"

The old man sighed "_The government is in shambles and Martial Law has been declared, looks like a good old power grab. It won't be long before a full scale civil war breaks out. Each member of the military hierarchy is choosing sides and pointing loaded guns at each other."_

"Shit"

_"Oh it gets worse, pretty much every major metropolitan city has been lost to the infection, the only cities that are reporting to be infection free at the moment is San Diego, Denver, Atlanta, and the entire state of Texas seems to be infection free. There is however various refugee centers that are popping up in remote areas but the military are stretched too thin and I'm not sure how long those people will be able to hold out." _

"Sounds like they can use some help, where's the rest of the squad?"

_"Spectres 2,3, and 4 have been deployed to San Diego to try to push as many infected from the area as possible they want to use Coronado as a staging area for the entire Pacific fleet, then they are to move north to try to recapture Long Beach, then LA, Spectre 5 is en route to London, he's to aid the British in defense until they are ready to send us aid and I am routing Spectre 6 to your location from Baghdad"_

"why here? He could be used more effectively back in the states, advice you re-deploy h-"

"_No Gabriel, you need to hold japan as long as possible, we need to keep a presence in that region, the Entire world is pointing nukes at each other and North Koreas trigger finger is the twitchiest, your mission is for you and Spectre 6 to do everything in your power to help the SDF keep order, or at the very least keep a section of real estate clear so we can deploy troops when we are ready. Understood?"_

Gabriel went ridged "Yes, sir? But what about miss Busujima?"

The general paused for a moment before replying _"it's your call, if you think she's ready I'll leave that decision in your hands," _

"Roger that" Gabriel responded

"_Until then you are to stay put and await orders, I want you to radio in every 24 hours with a sit rep"_

"Yes sir, "

"_Very well major" _

"One more thing General, I ran into a kill squad of Black Dragons. I engaged them and disrupted whatever they were trying to do, but one of their spec ops was with them and I was forced to withdrawal, what do you want me to do?"

_"Black dragons hmm, that certainly add another element to this conflict. ROE is still in effect, eliminate on sight"_

Gabriel smiled "roger that"

_"Good luck Ghost, Sword base out"_

Gabriel sat up from the radio station, thanked to guard and walked out the room. His head was swarming with questions and he was trying to wrap his head around the situation attempting to plan his next move. He wouldn't admit it, but having Spectre 6 around would greatly improve his situation and the group's ability to fend off attackers, both living and the dead but he worried that even though he trusted the rest of the squad being capable of handling themselves they still had never fought a war of this caliber and even as highly trained as they were they were only human and 2,3 and 4 could use 6's help more than him. Gabriel sighed, _**well I guess that why I'm not in charge**_**.**

Gabriel walked down the silent halls pondering his next move, he was such lost in thought that he almost ran into Alice as she bolted down the corridor chasing after the little dog Zeke. This visibly startled the child as she immediately cowered in fear from the sight Gabriel's who still looked pretty ragged since he hadn't had time to wash his clothes yet and blood was still stained on them.

"whoops didn't see ya there squirt, sorry if I scared you" he said with a wide grin he didn't fault her for being scared of him, not only was he a foreigner but she had also seen him in combat so he tried to diffuse the girls resentment by giving her a genuine smile. In truth he cared for the little girl as he could tell she quickly became part of the group stealing everyone's hearts.

"I-I"m sorry" she said as she hid her hands behind her back and averted his gaze. By this time Zeke had turned around and began growling at Gabriel.

Gabriel let out a laugh, "don't be little one, it was my fault I should've been more careful" he said as he lowered himself and squatted down at her level. He then extended his hand toward Zeke with palms facing up as to show that he meant no harm "come here little guy" he said in a soft tone. Zeke hesitated a little as he sniffed Gabriel's hand and inched closer, he was curious but cautious, so Gabriel kept his hand out "its ok boy, I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm here to help and protect you guys" the wide grin still plastered on his face.

When zeke was close enough Gabriel began rubbing under the dogs jaw very lightly just where the neck began and in seconds Zeke was pushing himself into Gabriel's hand begging to Be petted this caused hi to let out a chuckle "see I told you boy, only here to help" this got him a bark of approval from Zeke who was now happily wagging his tail

"Mister- are you really here to help us" Alice stammered still looking away but her body wasn't as stiff, she was beginning to relax probably because of Zekes attitude toward Gabriel.

"Of course… may I call you Alice?" Gabriel asked making sure to seem as least intimidating as possible. This earned him a slight nod from Alice who was now blushing

"You and Miss Busujima are friend's right, I mean I saw you fighting earlier"

"You have nothing to worry about, me and Saeko just had some history that needed a bit of clearing up, so yes we are friends" he paused

"Are you going to be my onii-san?" she said her face blushing even a deeper red. "I mean I don't have a family anymore since my papa died" tears began to form at the sides of her eyes.

Gabriel felt a pit in his stomach as all the air was suddenly knocked out of him. Her innocence had taken him by surprise and he unexpectedly reached out for her and took the little girl in his arms engulfing her tiny body. He felt her tense up for a half second before throwing her arms around him and sobbing lightly into his shoulder. Gabriel rose from his squat lifting Alice from the floor and held her tightly "don't worry Alice, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. And yes I will be your Onii-san" he paused for a few moments as Alice collected herself and he set her back on the floor wiping her tears from her eyes and in the softest voice he could muster "Alice listen to me sweetheart, are you listening?"

She nodded

"You have a family, and will always have a family. Your family is Saya, Khota, Rei, Takashi, Saeko, Miss Shuzuka, Zeke and Me. we will always be a family I need you to remember that"

"But what if they die-"she began to speak but Gabriel quickly cut her off

"Not gonna happen" he said abruptly "I won't let that happen, those goddamn monsters aren't going to hurt any of you so long as I'm around…and I don't plan on leaving"

Alice face broke into a wide smile that seemed to light the room "Okay oni-san, I believe you"

"Ok good, now go play with Zeke it looks like he's getting bored

"Okay!" she said as she ran off down the hall

Gabriel laughed _**man if the guys saw that they would never let me live that down, softy**_ he thought to himself as he continued down the hallway

What Gabriel didn't know was that he was being watched by Saeko who had caught that little exchange between Alice and Him and she couldn't help but smile at the sincerity of Gabriels words. She also found it hilarious that a little girl could cause him to turn into goo. But for some reason and probably the most troubling was how incredibly turned on she had gotten at watching Gabriel interact with the little one as she noted her face was flushed red and she couldn't help the lustful thoughts from flooding her mind _**goddamn maternal instincts**_ she yelled in her head as she leaned un against the wall and attempted to calm down.

_**And hour later **_

All the girls had assembled in Rei room and were feverishly talking amongst each other. Rei was by far the happiest as the exchange between her and Takashi escape her giggling lips. Everyone except Saya of course who was brimming with jealousy and struggling to keep it contained.

"I'm very happy for you Miyamoto," Saeko replied in a soothing voice calm as ever

"Thank you Saeko, please call me Rei though we are all friends here you can drop the formalities"

"Speak for yourself" Saya said harshly

"Aww don't worry Saya, you're not left out Hirano has the major hots for you!" Miss Shizuka teased

"wh-what!, th-that's absurd, who would like that fat Otaku anyway!" the words fumbled from her mouth

This caused the entire group to burst into laughter, Saya grew beet red with embarrassment before finally realizing her overreaction and began to joined in the laughing, until Miss shizuka suddenly changed the subject

"Oh but Saeko what about that Gabriel, oolala!" she roused

This time it was Saeko turn to be embarrassed who fought to find words "What about him?" she said averting her eyes from the group who now were staring at her all smirking in her direction.

"Oh come on, we've seen the way you look at him and why wouldn't you, that boys is 100% American muscle, I'd love to get a taste—"

Saeko cut Shizuka off "I don't fucking think so" her tone wasn't harsh but was as a "matter of fact"

Silence filled the room and second ticked by before everyone erupted into laughter.

"Fuck" Takashi said under his breath as he stared out the second story window. The sun was now set and darkness had swept over the land. Save for a few lanterns scattered through the refugee camp everything was pitch black. _** How am I supposed to take care of Rei and the others when I'm not even sure I can handle myself, I can't even shoot a gun!**_ He shook his head at the thought and buried his face in his hands. His felt his anxiety rise as he thought back to the kiss that Rei and him shared. He longed to be at her side helping her recover but every time he tried to enter her room something stopped him and his fear would spike causing him to back away. He had spent the better part of two hours trying to figure out why he was suddenly so afraid of seeing her only to come to the conclusion that it wasn't her he was afraid of but of his own insecurities regarding his job to protect her. Given what had happened earlier back at the Humvee he wasn't so sure that his given skill set was enough to keep everyone safe. His mind shifted to the rest of the group, Rei was an expert spear user, Khota was the gun nut and had proven proficient with every firearm they had encountered, and Saya was a tactical genius. Then there was of course Saeko who was in another league of her own extremely capable of holding her own against swarms of them. She wielded that sword like something out a movie manipulating the blade effortlessly and in a way that could only be described as an art form. In fact Takashi was very convinced that the only one capable of handling her in a fight would be Gabriel who on his own was probably the most terrifying individual of the group not including the fact that he was a full blown mercenary, but so far has shown to be impossible to kill and even went toe to toe with Saeko in the conflict earlier today and his marksmanship and experience on the battlefield would prove invaluable. _**GODDAMNIT IM USELESS!**_ He screamed in his head only to be interrupted by a friendly voice

"Takashi are you alright?" Hirano spoke as he neared his friend who was obviously conflicted.

"Yes, I mean no, ah who the fuck am I kidding I don't know man!"

"What's up, what's eating you?" Hirano said as he came to a stop beside Takashi

Takashi paused as he brought he breathing under control, he could feel anger building inside him "I just don't know where I fit in all of this?"

"What do you mean?" Hirano said as he leaned up against the wall across from Takashi

"The world has gone to shit and in this world the ones who are able to defend themselves will survive."

"I'm not following you, you seemed to handle yourself pretty well—"

"Don't bullshit me Khota, I almost lost Rei back there because I couldn't defend her," he felt tear begin to well but forced them down and took a deep breath "because I couldn't even shoot a gun I almost lost her, I almost lost all of you. If it wasn't for you Saeko and Gabriel she would be dead… and it's all my fault" he said suddenly feeling the strength escape from his legs as he slumped to the floor his hands gripping the back of his head. He took two seconds before looking up at Hirano who was now facing him a small smirk formed at his lips

"Well then how about I teach you to shoot, I'll show you the basics and we can go from there" Hirano said giving him the thumbs up

Takashi hesitated _**was he reading my fucking mind!**_

"Don't worry man; we are here to take care of each other. And you aren't worthless, ever since we left that school you have been leading the group keeping everyone together, without you we probably never would've gotten this far"

"Bullshit, Gabriel—"

"He left us," Hirano paused "look I like Gabriel and I'm glad he came back and I'm glad he's with us don't get me wrong but he wasn't there, when things were getting bad rescuing Alice, you didn't hesitate you just acted. Even at the school and with the Incident with Rei and Mr. Shido, your what kept the group going so teaching you to shoot is the least I can do to thank you"

Takashi stared wide eyed at Hirano, unsure of what to say or what to do. Until Hirano extended his hand, Takashi hesitated before grabbing his friends hand and raised him off the floor "thanks man really I really appreciate it"

"Don't mention it, we will start early tomorrow so get some rest" Hirano said before shaking Takashi hand patting his friend on the shoulder and walked off.

"Yeah you too man" Takashi replied. He stood there taking the conversation in and found that he feet were moving on their own heading for Rei's bedroom. This time he was able to have the strength to face her as he entered her room. It was empty and illuminated by a small lamp beside the bed. Rei was lying flat on her stomach and had turned her head to see who was coming in. when she saw it was Takashi she smiled widely her face glowing

"Took you long enough" she said smiling

"Yeah sorry about that, had some stuff I had to figure out" he shrugged as he approached her bedside slowly

"Oh, everything ok?" she asked warmly

Takashi admired her Perfect figure, her naked body covered by only a sheet that was draped only over her lower body leaving her back to be exposed. He stopped once he got to the bed and leaned down toward her face. Rei shifted to meet Takashi exposing her breasts slightly which he instantly took notice of. He lowered himself to her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. His body immediately filling with warmth "Yeah, everything is going to be fine" he said to her softly as he kissed her once more.

_**NEXT DAY 06:30**_

The daylight broke through the curtains and rested a warm beam of light directly onto Gabriel's eyes. He groaned in discomfort as he blinked away the sleep that clung to his eyelids like weights. He didn't dream, in fact he didn't even remember going to sleep the last thing he remembered was sitting in a chair that occupied the small room he was in and that was in, Which he found odd considering he was now lying down on the bed fully clothed. Either he sleep walked or someone moved him. his answer was found when he rolled over on his side only to have his face filled with the scent of cherry blossoms and the color purple.

"HOLY SHIT!" he yelled as he literally fell out of the small bed and landed on the floor with a thud.

Saeko shifted as she opened her eyes groggily her vision slowly coming into focus "wha-whats going on?" she muttered

"Gabriel scrambled to his feet as he looked over the body of the women who was lying next to him. Saeko was lying in only her underwear and bra revealing her ample breasts, toned abs and firm buttocks. It took Gabriel a few seconds to compose himself but it was already too late, the sight of Saeko coupled with the fact that it WAS the morning Saeko noticed immediately and began to giggle

"My my are you that excited, or just happy to see me" she said coyly

"It's morning for fuck sake! I can't help it" Gabriel pouted as he attempted to use his hands to cover his manhood. "And what the hell are you doing in my room?"

"well I was looking for you last night and when I checked you were asleep in a rather uncomfortable position in that chair, so I took off your gear and helped you into bed before I realized how tired I was so I helped myself in and fell asleep too, really not that complicated "

Gabriel stood there taking in Saeko words, unable to move or speak due to his attention span becoming shortening by the second unknowingly allowing himself to stare at Saeko who was now propped on one hand looking seductively in his direction. "i-i-Im going to go exercise" he finally stammered as he quickly turned and headed out the door.

_**Oh he's no fun**_ Saeko thought as she smiled slyly and bit her lower lip.

Gabriel's mind was swirling with lustful thoughts. _**Aw fuck me! screw it all I need is a little workout to ease my mind, this is not the time to be thinking such thoughts!.**_ He immediately broke into a vigorous training regimen which not only included physical training which encompassed an equally difficult strength, flexibility and cardio aspect, but also he practiced his martial arts and marksmanship in order to keep sharp. But also he finished with a Mental and spiritual routine which allowed him to clear and keep his mind clear and focused, well except for the image of Saeko which no matter how hard he tried would not leave his thought. _**Well shit**_ he thought finally accepting the fact that he wasn't going to be able to shake that image very easily. Gabriel wiped the sweat from his brow content with his morning workout, he guessed it was around 10:00 now and his stomach was rumbling so he figured he would get something to eat. He made his way back to the large house turned a corner and nearly crushed a little boy who was heading full speed toward him. The little boy tried in vain to stop his momentum but to no avail as he tripped over his own feet and flew in the air. Gabriel acted quickly as he put his hand out and grabbed the boy just before his face hit the floor. "Whoa there turbo, slow down or you're hurt yourself"

The boy was visibly in awe, he was almost certain that he was about to bite concrete but he looked up at Gabriel wide eyed and just nodded "I'm sorry mister" he said meekly

"Whoa there drop the mister crap; my name is Gabriel, what's yours?" Gabriel said as he set the little boy down and squatted so that he was face to face with the boy.

"My name is Andrew" he said smiling

"Ok Andrew, so what were you doing heading at top speed?"

"I was pretending to be fighting the monsters when they broke my door and came after me! And I had this big gun and I was like blasting them all away BANG! BANG! BANG!" Andrew said as he made his hand into a gun and began pretending to shoot. "And then I ran out of ammo and I had to get out of there!"

Gabriel visibly flinched as the boy told him his game that he was playing _**fuck, even this kid has been affected by this shit, whatever happened to cops and robbers?**_. "Ah I see, so are you hear with your parents?" Gabriel asked the boy as he stood and looked around searching for the boy's parents.

Suddenly the boy got very quiet and lowered his head, his body shaking as he began to sob. "I'm so sorry Andrew, i-"

"My mommy is here with me, but my Daddy was killed protecting me and mommy, *sniff sniff*"

"Damn," Gabriel said as he lowered himself once again, Andrew was sobbing harder now and Gabriel gently took the little boy into his arms and held the boys tiny frame. It was all he could think to do as Andrews sobs became lighter and after a few moments disappeared. "Andrew, you are a very brave boy" Gabriel finally said

"You think so?" he said pulling away and wiping his nose with his shirt. Gabriel pulled out a handkerchief and assisted him in wiping his face.

"Of course, and you know what?" Gabriel said smiling at the boy

"What?" the boy said intrigued

"I think you would kick those monsters ugly asses to the moon!"

The boy hesitated before his face contorted into a wide smile "HECK YEAH!" he yelled as he threw his fist into the air in triumph

"ANDREW!, ANDREW WHERE ARE YOU!" a voice called out from out of sigh

"Well my Mommy is calling me" he said

"Well you better not piss her off, "Gabriel said rising to his feet

"I won't, thank you mister!" Andrew yelled as he ran back toward his mother's voice

_**Damnit kid I told you to knock off that mister shit **_Gabriel said as he turned back toward the Takagi manor and headed inside.

Breakfast was simple, eggs, toast, and hot coffee but to Gabriel that Cup of Coffee was the greatest thing he ever tasted. At first he sipped it slow savoring the flavor then he downed the entire cup and poured himself another.

"Gabriel where have you been?" Saya's voice boomed from behind him.

"Uh, was I supposed to be somewhere?" he responded puzzled

"YES we are having a group meeting right now"

"I wasn't told" he was cut off

"Well you are part of the group so come on its important" she said in a very bossy tone.

"Huh, first time you've told me that" he whispered under her breath

"What was that?" Saya said as she turned to leave

"Nothing, I'm coming" he said as he followed her out the door. They walked quickly to Rei's room and when they entered the entire group was there including Miss Shizuka. "Guys" he said as he waved his hand, Saeko moved and stood next to Gabriel

Everyone responded in kind. The air in the room was very tense; everyone seemed to be on edge. Gabriel wondered why everyone was in such a pent up mood.

"Getting your caffeine fix I see?" she said to him

"Yeah, you want some?" he said pushing the cup to her

"You know I can't stand that stuff" she said smiling to him

"You don't know what you're missing"

"I think I have an idea, "she smiled seductively catching Gabriel off guard "have a good workout"

Gabriel Nodded attempting to hide his embarrassment from their earlier engagement but it only allowed Saeko to snicker at his feeble attempt. So he changed the subject and spoke to the entire group

"Thanks for including me guys, but what is this about?" he asked

"I don't see a reason why everyone has to gather around here?" Rei said obviously embarrassed as she was lying flat on her stomach on the bed with the only clothing she had on was a small towel that covered her butt.

"You can barely move, what else we can do" Takashi retorted earning him an angry glare from Rei

Miss Shizuka sat a few steps away peeling a banana "I'm sorry but what were we talking about again?" she said candidly

"Whether we can continue to move forward as a group or not" Takagi replied, her voice stern. Causing everyone to immediately become silenced and Miss Shizuka to choke on the banana she was eating.

"As a group?" Rei asked

"It's a good point" Saeko spoke up from beside Gabriel "The group is bigger now, we might have to think more democratically since there are more of us then there was before it's only fair"

"Right" Takagi added "we have only two options. Whether we are going to be absorbed or"

"Separate from them" Takashi finished her sentence "but wait; do you really think we have to split from the group? Things are only getting worse in the city and your father seems to know what he's doing, and your mother too" he paused as he made his way over to Takagi who was staring out a large window. "They have a plan"

"Don't they always" she countered "No one knows that more than I do"

Everyone fixed their eyes on Takagi unaware of where she was taking the conversation.

"Her achievements" she continued. "Don't think she won't shove them right in your face. Maybe if she would have been as dedicated at home as she was-"

"Takagi" Takashi muttered. Gabriel and the rest of the group still fixated on Takagi whose eyes were now swelling up with tears.

"God she's such a bitch" she hissed earning her a few gasps in shock. Gabriel's eyes squinted as he thought to himself _**shit, not good she's losing it**_ but he kept his mouth shut only allowing his mind to wander. This was something that she had to figure out herself.

Takashi was now staring at Saya Takagi a bead of sweat forming around his brow. He sensed the growing tension as well "You shouldn't talk bad about your parents." He said to her. "Considering the situation we are in, it's been very tough on everyone an-"

"Did I ask you to weigh in on my family life!" she responded her voice rising; now tears were lightly scrolling down her cheeks. "Takagi's, the Takagi's how fabulous their life must be, everything had to be just perfect, the house and the lawn and the parties and most of all, their daughter! It was positively suffocating! They wanted to know where I was and what I was doing every minute of the day. The leash they kept me on!"

"That's enough!" Takashi growled impatience and anger creeping in his voice.

_**Stay calm Takashi,**__**control the situation don't feed fuel to the fire**_ Gabriel thought as he watched the train wreck occurring in front of him as he noticed Takashi futile attempt of calming Saya Down.

"NO! IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH!" she yelled as her emotions had completely taken over, words formed from feelings began pouring from her mouth. "But where was that leash yesterday when I was out there lost in the streets fighting for my life! Where the hell were they then?"

The next thing that happened stunned everyone in the room as Kumoro who had finally had enough, lunged at Saya grabbing her by the collar and lifting her off her feet and into the air. "Stop it Saya!" he yelled

"Kumoro!" Saeko said in protest. Gabriel quickly grabbed Saeko's arm stopping her from interfering. When she looked back at Gabriel he only shook his head signaling that they needed to work this out. Even though Kumoro had basically just blew up losing his cool, Gabriel was intrigued with how the group would react when their Leader by Default reprimanded one of their own. It would allow him to gauge everyone's loyalty to the de facto chain of command.

"You, you don't know" saya protested tears flowing down her cheeks "you have no idea what I feel, you don't know anything about me" she pleaded obviously frightened from Kumoro's response to her outburst.

"It's not just you," Kumoro hissed "we all feel the same way, WE ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY! Don't you know how lucky you are? At least your parents are safe!" he yelled at her anger in his eyes and his body going ridged as the words left his mouth. "SO QUIT WHINING!" he said shaking her like a rag doll. Everyone around the room unable to look any longer at the scene unfolding in front of them. All except for Gabriel who was still intensely focused on Kumoro _**well it's not what I would do, but it seems to be working. He act a little bit too much on emotions but other than that his leadership and charisma is definitely a force to be reckoned with**_ Gabriel thought to himself and allowed a small smile to form at the edges of his mouth.

"OK," Saya muttered "your right, you can let me down now" she said the calmness returning to her voice whatever Kumoro did seemed to work as he gently lowered the girl to the floor taking a step back and apologizing

"I'm sorry"

"Yeah you'd better be" she said as she fixed her glasses and returned a smile toward Kumoro. "I forgive you, now back to the subject" it was at this time the Gabriel noticed the scowl on Khota's face as he glared at Takagi. "Gabriel what do you think, should we stick together as a group or should we allow ourselves to be swallowed into this larger group."

The question caught Gabriel off guard as he took his attention off of Khota and shifted slowly where he stood pondering her question. On one hand regardless of the extra bodies, the Takagi residence had an abundant supply of weapons and resources making it a lot easier to obtain the necessities to survive, however on the other hand. With the added number of people meant more indecisiveness would complications arise and it also meant it was a lot more dynamic situation, and he wouldn't have the freedom to operate as freely as he needed to fulfill his mission parameters.

"I'm really not sure I'm qualified to make that call, this isn't my squad and while I am ecstatic that you guys have accepted me into the group, I can tell that the undisputed leader of the group is Kumoro and id have to say that's the way it should be."

This earned him several shocked looks from the other in the group especially Kumoro who up until now had never thought of himself as a leader.

"However If I may say, I believe we are missing and entire aspect of this argument, one that I don't think anybody but Myself and Saeko have thought about since this entire ordeal has begun." He said looking at Saeko who only nodded in agreement as she knew exactly where he was going with the argument "our main goal is to survive, correct?" he asked to which everyone nodded "Then we need to realize that the Living dead is probably the least of our worries at the moment" he paused as he let the statement sink in. the faces of the group painted with confusion. "Let me elaborate, when and area is damaged so severely by war just like what we have seen so far, almost immediately there is going to be a power struggle, people are going to begin to form groups in order to survive as they realize that the government doesn't have the resources to send aid and in some cases the entire government can collapse leaving all resources up for grabs. When this happens the groups that can defend territory and gather the most resources will be the ones to survive, for example the people who are the most ruthless and the ones who have the guns. It's as simple as that" Gabriel scanned seeing that everyone was hanging on every word that he said. "Sooner or later the dead with decompose, or they will be killed off. Zombies who are blind and slow can only rely on superior numbers in order to wreak havoc so sooner or later there numbers will dwindle but even before this happens, the living will become our greatest enemy. People who want to survive will go to desperate measures which will no doubt include killing any one of us to get what they want and I hate to say it that's its already happening I've seen it."

"What? Where" saeko said shocked

"One my way to the Mansion I ran into group who was already organized and looked to be well armed and well equipped and to add an added danger a Mercenary force called the Black Dragons were with them as well. "

"Black dragons, you can't possibly mean?" Khota spoke up with fear in his voice

Gabriel nodded "Yes Khota, the same ones who helped Hitler form the SS, these guys are the real deal. Imagine a spec ops force the equivalent of the S.A.S. that operates with no boundaries and you get these guys. Not only are they extremely well trained, but they are extremely hostile especially to Authority Arms, we are pretty much enemies to the point that I have been ordered to kill any and all on sight regardless of where I am."

"What the fuck" Kumoro said lightly under his breath.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that" Saya said with defeat

"Don't blame yourself Saya, you had enough to think about just trying to survive the last few days.

"So back to what I was saying, our main problem right now is the dead first and foremost, but getting through the infection will be the easy part unfortunately its rebuilding that's gonna be the kick in the nuts. And it doesn't matter whether we stay here now or break away; sooner or later we are going to have to make a stand somewhere."

"He's right" Saeko responded as he walked up to Gabriel and slipped her arm in his. Gabriel slowly looked at Saeko as she speaks to the others "whatever we do we need to survive this outbreak so we can begin to rebuild when its over."

Everyone nodded in agreement and seeing that everyone was still digesting the information that Gabriel had just given to them, he decided that he would take the opportunity to make one more recommendation. "Kumoro"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"This is your group, whether you like it or not you are our leader we will go where you go and do as you say, is everyone in agreement?"

"Hell yeah!" Khota yelled throwing his fist in the air

"Of course" replied Rei

"Without a doubt" Saya responded, Miss Shizuka and Alice both had wide grins on their faces and were nodding their heads enthusiastically.

He hesitated "I-I"

"Don't think Kumoro just follow your instincts and you will be okay"

His face went pale and his struggled to swallow but ultimately he nodded in agreement "okay" he finally said

"however, although you are in charge, I'd like to point out that I have much more knowledge and experience in the field and I suggest that when we are in a tactical situation be it a firefight or and engagement with any sort of hostile threat that if you decide to meet the threat and engage that the tactical decisions would then be rested with either me, or Saeko"

The room grew eerily quiet for a few seconds before Kumoro flashed a toothy grin toward Gabriel "Sounds like a plan, " he said as he shook Gabriel's hand.

"Rodger that sir loud and clear" Gabriel responded.

"Good now that we have established some sort of chain of command do you think we should-" Saya was cut off by the sounds of diesel engines approaching and from how quickly the noise grew they were heading toward the house and fast. Saya was the first to bolt out of the room followed quickly by the rest of the group as the barreled their way out of the house and onto the front entrance leading outside that overlooked the Takagi's Property revealing a large convoy of Black SUV and diesel pickup trucks coming to a stop just in front of the main house where the group stood. They watched intently as a man of large stature and build wearing a very elegant form fitting black suit emerge from the lead SUV. He had a powerful stance and carried a katana at his side. His posture screamed discipline and power.

"That's" Khota began

"Yes, he's the former lord of Tokunosu, the Head of the Takagi family, a man who judges everything by his rules… my Father." Saya responded

Gabriel watched the man in front of him, studying him, sizing him up. He had heard much of the man name Souichiro Takagi. And Ultra-Conservative and avid business man he was definitely a man of great influence and power which was only accentuated by the way other acted around him. Gabriel soon spotted Takagi's mother who was accompanied by three men with Ar-15's slung around their necks. He quickly took note that the three men had their heads bowed while Takagi's mother stood firm staring at her husband, she was neither afraid nor was she intimidated. It was clear from this scene alone that Saya Takagi's parents were not only extremely intelligent but that they also demanded respect, something that even when the world ended, they received.

Immediately after Souichiro Takagi stepped from the SUV he took and elevated position and turned to face the now gathering crowd. In front of him a cage holding a man who had been bitten and subsequently turned. His speech was short but to the point. The man in the cage was his best friend; he spoke At the people not to them and what he did next only solidified Gabriel's already belief that this man was a natural leader. Souichiro ordered one of his men to open the cage releasing the beast trapped within. The dead man burst from the cage and charged Souichrio to which he effortlessly and with extreme precision and skill drew his sword and in one strike decapitated the infected head. The body hit the floor with and audible thud as the crowd became eerily quiet and horrified at the violence that appeared before them. For the Majority of the people were still unable to comprehend the dire situation they were in. but while the crowd was now mortified, the group was relieved and numb to the brutality, for they knew what needed to be done to survive.

_**GABRIEL POV**_

I was very happy to see that the man that I had heard so much about was nothing short of what the rumors had described him as. Looking at the man that stood before me I knew that getting on this man's good side was only going to better our chances of not only surviving the pandemic but also allowing me the resources to create and maintain a stronghold in japan allowing AA and its allies a strategic location for landing troops and supplies in this region of the world not to mention helping me keep The Black Dragons at bay. I had to admit it was starting to piss me off that I had no idea what their plans were and why they were in Japan. I made a mental note to begin investigating into their plans as soon as possible.

"What's the matter Hirano?" I heard Kumoro say I focused my attention on Hirano who was clutching his fist and looked like he was about to explode

"Swords are incredibly inefficient" he mumbled

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Kumoro countered.

"I said their inefficient! A Japanese sword can break if its hits bone. It's useless after slicing three or more people!" he yelled at Kumoro

Saeko's unnaturally calm voice chimed in "you can't say that for sure Hirano, even in the way of the sword numbers determine the strength, the swordsman technique, the quality of the sword, his mental strength. If these three elements are at high levels you won't lose your fighting strength, no matter how many people you have to fight against" she said barely looking in his direction

Hirano turned to face Saeko "but once the blade has blood on it its impossible to-"

"Hey Hirano!" Kumoro interrupted "That's enough!" he said as he put his hand on Hirano's shoulder attempting to calm him down

"Don't touch me, and don't interrupt me. You can't even shoot a gun properly

_**Oh man this is getting ugly **_I thought to myself as I watched Hirano's rage grow

"HIRANO, you need to back off!" Saya said in an authoritive tone

"Hirano, what's going on man why are you-"I said in an attempt to calm him down

"Fuck this!" He yelled as he turned and ran off before anyone could say anything to him.

"One big happy family" Saeko quipped as Kumoro turned on his heel and went after him.

"Damnit," I sad under my breath as I watched the group all leave after Hirano, except for Saeko who sat staring in my direction "What?"

"Why didn't you step in and say something?"

"Not my call, I like him don't get me wrong. But if I were to force every confrontation to end, nothing would get settled and animosity would grow"

"Very cynical of you" she said glaring at me

"Oh please Saeko, if this petty argument fucks up the balance of the group then it was deemed to fail sometime"

"Your incredible" she said sarcastically "don't you want to help?"

"I'm here aren't I, and I told you I was going to do everything I can to keep you guys safe, but something like this needs to be worked out before the group is ready to take on what's outside these walls."

"You may be right, but if you do care you have a very cold way of showing it" She said to me

"Don't worry, I'm only feeling everything out" I said as I turned to leave and head back into the house

"Where are you going?" she asked me

"I never got to finish my coffee" I said as I walked inside. From behind me I heard Saeko mutter calling me a selfish prick.

I poured myself another cup of coffee and walked back to my room. My Gear was lying next to the bed and I took a few moments to check everything then I put everything on and synched it tight, satisfied I sat on the bed pondering my next move. From what I saw I have a few options. I could either abandon the group and stay with the Takagi's which would result in my chances of establishing a stronghold within the city easier for the immediate future, the downside would be however that I would leave the Group vulnerable if they decided to leave to go find Rei and Kumoro Parents. I knew this would also separate me from Saeko as she would never leave them to fend for themselves out in the city and I did not want her out of my sight any more than what had already happened. Then there was the problem of the Black Dragons to which I still had no idea what they were up to, which was in itself a very volatile situation. They never deploy without a carefully constructed plan and I'd bet my left nut that whatever it was, it wasn't good for AA or its allies, especially if they were sending someone like Victor Romanoff to lead the operation. The fact that he was here was a dead giveaway with how bad they wanted to succeed with whatever they were planning. Which would lead to the next option, if the group chooses to leave I could leave with them using the search for their parents as a way to scout and find intel on whatever the Black Dragons were up too. It would be difficult but I would be able to at least move around freely, it would also allow me to be able to protect the group in which I was becoming very fond of as I spent more time with them. I could only hope that they wouldn't tear each other apart before they make their decision so that it keeps the unity that they have built upon.

I sat thinking for a few moments before I was alerted to a ruckus that was taking place directly under my window on the first floor. I quickly rose from my seat and made my way over to the window and looked down, to my horror I saw Hirano there surrounded by a group of men who were heckling him over his weapons that he clutched tightly to his chest. "Shit" I muttered as I quickly turned and bolted out the door.

_**AUTHOR POV**_

It didn't take long before Gabriel got to Hirano, but by the time he did the rest of the group had appeared as did Souichiro Takagi with Saya's mother at his side. Gabriel could tell with the expressions and body language of the group that the situation was heated.

"You mean to tell me that this young man was the one protecting my Daughter!" Souichiro Bellowed

Gabriel didn't hesitate as he spoke from behind the group "That is correct sir!"

Everyone shifted their attention on the new guest that had arrived. "Aw shit, another kid with too many guns!" one of the henchmen who was surrounding Hirano said earning a emotionless stare from Gabriel

"Yes, but if you try to take mine you'll be picking up for teeth from the ground and removing the leather from my boot stuck up your ass."

"Why you little-"

"That's enough!" Lady Takagi's voice resounded through the courtyard. "Major I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance"

"Sorry to keep you waiting ma'am"

"Yuriko, who is this boy?" Souichiro says annoyed at Gabriel's sudden appearance.

"If I may introduce myself sir, my name is Gabriel Kael. Major in Authority Arms Private Military leader of Spectre Squad"

Souichiro eyes narrowed as he processed this new information about the boy who stood in front of him. It was true that he knew of Spectre squad and their supposed leader, he also knew that their leader was also known to be the most dangerous man on the planet despite being very young. But Souichiro was very experienced and did not believe rumors and was not just going to take Gabriel on his word.

"Is that so," the former lord of Tokunosu huffed. Then a thin smile appeared on his face "It is said that the leader of AA Spectre squad was capable of incredible feats of speed, strength and skill with all forms of weapons and in all forms of combat specializing in Hand to Hand and close range combat with emphasis on open hand and bladed weapons."

Gabriel smiled "this is true Sir" he said looking down as he unholstered one of his 1911's racked the slide and tossed it to Souichiro. He then turned and walked away from the Head of the Takagi Household and stopped when he was about 20 yards away and turned back to face him.

Souichiro smile widened. The group looked on in both horror and Intrigue as the two powers faced off with each other. Saeko looked on with the most interest unable to process what Gabriel was attempting to do. She had a slight idea but she was having a hard time believing what was happening _**what the fuck are you thinking Gabriel**_ she thought to herself as she narrowed her eyes and focused on his Gabriel. Meanwhile Hirano had move to stand next to Saya and the group took a couple steps back unaware of what was going to happen next.

Gabriel stood with his arms at his side, staring at Souichiro who stood equally still but clasped the handgun tightly in his hand. While he preferred Hand to Hand combat he was also no stranger to firearms and was quite proficient with Handguns. Gabriels eyes began to change color as he allowed himself to go into the limiter technique turning almost completely black yet no one noticed except for Saeko whose gaze was now glued to Gabriel. And in one instant Souichiro drew the handgun and fired with one hand directly at Gabriel. It was a dead center mass shot aimed directly at the heart, and he knew it would hit dead on its mark. Everything had lined up from the sights to the pull of the trigger. The boy that stood before him was clearly a dead man.

Except what happened next wasn't what anyone had expected save for Saeko whose theory had proven correct. In the blink of an eye Gabriel drew his sword from the sheath that rested on his back and brought the blade downward. It met the bullet head on and with extreme precision Gabriel had landed the strike exactly dead center of the projectile splitting the bullet in two sending the two fragments careening at angels completely missing Gabriel who could only smile at the result. Souichiro allowed himself a few moments of shock and awe before pulling the trigger twice more sending two more well placed shots at Gabriel. However Gabriel read Souichiro body movements perfectly and was already moving to intercept as he reversed his blade upward connecting with the first round then switched and brought the blade horizontally slicing the second, no sound could be heard as both men stood glaring at each other each man studying the other. Silence engulfed the area as only the trees swaying in the wind could be heard. Everyone who was watching stood in utter disbelief at what inhuman feats had just taken place before them, and they struggled to wrap their heads around the fact this this Boy had just deflected three bullets without so much as breaking a sweat and with absolutely no injuries sustained.

Several very tense moments passed as both men stood solid in their stances with the rest trying to pick their jaws off the floor till finally after what seemed like ages Souichiro broke the silence. "Very impressive and very interesting, I see for once the rumors are true." He flipped the safety to the on position and tossed the pistol back to Gabriel who grabbed it out of the air and holstered the handgun on his thigh. Souichiro then walked over to Gabriel and extended his hand "It's a wonder to finally meet you Major"

Gabriel gave a firm shake "The honor is Mine Lord Takagi"

"Hirano keeps the guns men, and I don't want to hear another word about it" He boomed turning toward the men that had surrounded Hirano moments ago

"YES SIR!" the all replied in unison

"You are all dismissed" He added as he waved everyone off "Except for you and Miss Busujima, I would like to meet for two to meet me in the Shrine in 15 minutes" he said pointing to Saeko and Gabriel who both nodded in agreement "We have very important matters to discuss that will require your expertise" he said as he turned and walked away.

**Phew! that took awhile to write. i know there wasnt alot of action in this one but i think it was an important chapter as far as furthering the relationships inside to group so it was a little difficult to write. Please Review and let me know what you guys think. Thank you everyone, until next time!**


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